Bad
by Emmalee.Sky
Summary: "Bad, that's what I am. Trouble with a wild, infamous temper and fiery red hair." Ginny Weasley was different; her life was one that Aurors would probably arrest her for and she'd spend a few months, maybe even years in Azkaban for the things that she's done. At least she hadn't killed anyone; that's gotta count for something. That was until they sent Harry Potter on her.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Bad, that's what I am. I'm trouble with a wild, infamous temper and fiery red hair. Youngest of a large family, I went seventeen years of being last but no longer; my graduation from Hogwarts was the final day. Now four years later, I'm doing whatever the bloody hell I want and when I want.

Yes, I'm bad.

I'm wicked danger. I'm everything your mums, dads and good, innocent society of the Wizarding World has warned you about.

I skim the thin line between light and dark every goddamn day; walk the thin line between legal and illegal in the beautiful gray light. That's what I do; I slither through all the useless yellow tape and safety manuals getting you what you need.

And I was loving every blasted second of it until Harry Potter appeared in my life once again but did he know how dangerously bad I've become?

If he didn't…well, he will now.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**:

"Potter, I need to see you in my office for a moment."

Harry Potter looked up from his mountain of paperwork to see Gawain Robards' head in the green flames from the fireplace in his office. Five years working for the man, Harry knew that a direct summoning from the Head Auror, one did not question but go.

Harry sighed as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. He had a massive headache but he didn't have time to make a potion, let alone stop by the infirmary to get one. He exhaled deeply as he looked around his office, the reports on his desk then back at Robards' head.

"Certainly, I'll be there after I finish up this one report." He replied and turned back to it as Robards' head disappeared through the flames.

Another meeting, Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, Merlin only knew what this one was about. He had kind of been hoping that after he finished the never ending pile of reports, he could head home; home to his sanctuary in Godric's Hallow. Guess that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Rolling his eyes, Harry looked down at the report and for a second, he wondered what this one meeting would be about but then forced himself to concentrate on finishing his report. He'd find out about the blasted meeting when he got through with the report and went to Robards' office.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The report was finally complete and when he checked his clock, it said "Later than you thought it was!" to which he checked the watch Mrs. Weasley had given him. It was almost five thirty and he really should get to Robards' office. With that thought, he left and on his way, he saw Ron leaning against a corner speaking to someone.

"Ron," he called out. He hadn't seen his best friend in over two weeks. Ron had been away on assignment for a week and the week before, he had been away.

Ron looked back and a suspicious smirk appeared on his face.

"Harry! How've you been, mate?" Ron asked as he stepped away from the corner. "Actually, hold on a second." He said as he turned back to the corner. He snorted as he turned right back. "Saved by the bell…" he muttered.

"Saved by the bell?" Harry frowned. "You know American muggle shows?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah, 'Mione's got me watching the television a lot lately. She said it was a good show, I reckon I agree with her. Anyway, what have you been up to? How did your assignment go?" Ron asked as he pulled Harry into a one armed hug.

Harry grinned. "It went well. I have a meeting with Robards now. Let's have lunch tomorrow. I need to see 'Mione. It's been a while."

"Sounds great, mate; see you." Ron patted him on the back as Harry began making his way towards Robards' office.

"See you," Harry waved as he turned the corner.

A moment later, Harry was sitting in one of the chairs in front of Robards desk. The man was watching Harry silently with serious eyes, his penetrating gaze not missing a beat or the blink of his emerald green eyes. Robards was a tough man to crack and Harry wondered once again what this would be about. As the seconds ticked by and Robards continued to stare, his nerves were beginning to get the best of him.

When a knock on the door came, Robards replied with a low "come in" and in walked Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister and a good friend.

"Harry, it's good to see you." Kingsley smiled and shook Harry's hand as he came to sit beside him.

"You too, Kingsley, how have you been?" He smiled back.

"Busy, Harry, busy. Now, let us get to the point. Robards, would you like to begin?" Kingsley asked.

"Certainly, Minister, let us get right down to business. Now, Potter, we have one more assignment for you and when it is completed, I will be handing in my resignation. It is time for me to retire and after you've finished this assignment, I would like you to take my position as Head Auror." Robards explained.

Harry stared in shock. Head Auror? Did he deserve it? Truly, he didn't think so. He worked just as hard as everyone else but he mostly got lucky.

"Are you certain I should be up for this position?" He heard himself asked.

Both Kingsley and Robards frowned at him.

"Of course, Harry. How could you ask such a question?" Kingsley looked at him.

"Well, the thing is, I know I was the Chosen One and I defeated Voldemort but my time is up. I'm just an Auror now. I don't want you to feel obligated to present me this opportunity when everyone else works just as hard as I do." Harry explained.

Robards chuckled. "Potter, we are not giving you this opportunity because of those reasons. We're giving it to you because you are the best Auror here. You're quick, intelligent and have the best track record. You're an amazing Auror and we would like you to accept the position but only after the assignment has been completed."

Harry smiled. "Of course, sir; I won't disappoint you."

"We know you won't." Kingsley smiled. "Anyway, back to this assignment. Harry, we've been trying to track this target for over four years now. Amazingly, with all the time that has passed, you'd think we'd have more information on the target but we haven't been able to get a thing. The target is an infamous thief and trouble starter amongst the public. We can't figure out who it is or what their objective truly is. Just when we think we've got the target all figured out, the individual completely baffles us."

Harry frowned. That certainly didn't sound good. He was getting a really bad feeling about this assignment.

"The only thing we know about the target is that it goes by the name Fyrefox." Robards continued for Kingsley, "So many things have been stolen; so much trouble has been caused by Fyrefox. So, Harry, you must quickly apprehend Fyrefox and finding the missing objects would not be so terrible, either."

_Fyrefox_…? His eyes narrowed as the name repeated in his mind. Fyrefox, for the love of God, why did the name sound familiar? Harry wondered as he listened to Robards and Kingsley going on about this target but for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew something more about the name than he thought.

**A/N: Chapter One! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Look forward to the next chapter :)**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**:

"Harry! Oh, Harry! Over here!"

Harry turned to see Hermione and Ron sitting at a corner booth in the Leaky Cauldron. The two started whispering amongst themselves as he spotted them and began to walk over; they stopped when he slid into the opposite side of the booth. Ron grinned while Hermione smiled widely. They were holding hands as Harry crossed his arms as he leaned back.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Harry teased and smirked as both of them blushed. He wondered how long before they'd stop blushing about that. In their defense, they'd only been married a little over five months.

"Stuff it, Harry." Ron hissed but it didn't have the desired effect since he was still brightly flushed.

Harry smiled, "Oh, alright. I'm just happy for you two."

Hermione smiled back. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks! We missed you at the Sunday brunch this weekend."

"It's awkward for me to go every weekend. Every once in a while isn't too bad, though. But, anyway, assignments have been keeping me occupied most of the time. I'm sorry about that but it's finally paying off, I reckon." Harry shrugged wondering if either of them would get it. He snorted mentally; of course Hermione would get it.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked curiously.

"Oh, Harry! That's fantastic news!" Hermione immediately cheered.

He smiled. Of course, she'd figure it out. He knew it.

"Yes, Robards and Kingsley offered me the Head Auror position yesterday on completion of my final assignment." Harry grinned.

"Congrats, mate!" Ron patted him on the shoulder. "That's amazing!"

"It truly is, Harry!" Hermione agreed as she took a sip of her Butterbeer.

"The position is yours now!" Ron told him.

"Not until he completes his assignment, Ron. Don't you pay attention?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I heard him, 'Mione but it's just like every other one. He'll finish it in no time and my best mate will be Head Auror. Reckon you'll be able to give me a raise?" Ron teased.

"Ronald!" Hermione frowned.

Harry laughed. Ron _would _joke about a raise. He snorted as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"So, tell us about this assignment." Hermione said as she leaned against Ron.

"Fyrefox is an infamous thief..." Harry began and for a good five minutes, he went on explaining his assignment to both Ron and Hermione. After he finished, they both watched him with interest.

"Fyrefox…? Who do you suppose it is?" Hermione asked.

"Honestly, I don't know though when I first heard it, I have to admit it sounded familiar to me." He explained.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"I don't know. I just feel like the name Fyrefox is something I should know. Why? I can't tell you. It just... I don't know." He frowned.

"It's probably nothing. Maybe you read the name in the Daily Prophet when Fyrefox attacked or stole something." She told him.

"Of course you're right. I just wish I knew who it was so that I can get this over with." Harry sighed.

"It's probably some wanker with nothing better to do then cause problems." Ron answered.

"I reckon it's a bit more complicated than that," Harry shrugged then sighed, "I would prefer, though, that I get this over with so that I can just get promoted."

"I bet you do!" Ron chuckled.

Harry laughed too. "Not for the reasons you would think."

"Then for what reason?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Nothing really..." Harry answered nonchalantly. Ron watched him but then shrugged when Harry didn't elaborate but Hermione continued to scrutinize him.

Ron then looked at his watch.

"Bloody hell," he cursed as he noticed the time.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked.

"I just remembered that I was supposed to help George at the shop. Hell, he'll forgive me anyway. Oh well. Maybe if Ginny was around more, she'd get me out of this. George always had a soft spot for that one." Ron rolled his eyes.

Harry leaned back in the booth and frowned.

"Ron, how could you forget about George?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Harry was talking about Fyrefox. I was curious." He shrugged.

The pair continued to argue but Harry wasn't paying attention. At the mention of Ginny, his mind filled with memories of the beautiful redhead minx that he had thought the world of. Her bright brown eyes filled with life and mischief. She was everything he had ever wanted but -

"Bollocks, I need to use the loo. 'Mione, love, can you get me another Butterbeer?" He asked.

"Of course," she replied as he got to his feet and disappeared.

Harry took a sip of his Butterbeer as he felt Hermione's gaze on him. He didn't say a word, neither did she; he knew that Hermione was thinking about his and Ginny's relationship, or lack of. He knew she wanted him to say something, anything about the entire situation but it had been well over five years since they were together but not once, in all of that time, had he forgotten about the fiery redhead that alone set his heart beating erratically.

He sighed, closed his eyes and heard her exhale loudly.

"Harry -" she started but he cut her off.

"No, Hermione, don't start. Let it go," he took another sip.

"She's running down a bad path, Harry. You need to do something. Everyone is worried, especially Arthur and Molly. None of us know what to do anymore." She told him.

"Hermione, leave it. I do _not _want to talk about her. Please, leave it alone. You know already how this is. Don't bring it up again." He growled softly.

"But -" she tried again.

"No! How's working going?" He asked instead.

Hermione rolled her eyes but let him change the subject. After the final battle at Hogwarts, Harry had accepted Kingsley's offer to become an Auror immediately causing him to put his career and the Wizarding world before Ginny and he lost her because of it. This situation was entirely his fault and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

**A/N: Chapter Two! What did you guys think? Hope you enjoyed it.**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**:

The Ministry of Magic could be run by goblins, pixie fairies and trolls and she wouldn't give three flying hippogriffs what happened to them. According to her, they were all corrupt, selfish and life ruining wankers. They could lose everything, the building could get invaded and blown up and she wouldn't care.

Ginny Weasley sat in a rented room in the Leaky Cauldron mulling over piles of papers scattered across a desk. She leaned back in her chair and stretched. She was tired but she had to finish doing her research for her newest assignment. She yawned then grabbed the stack closest to her. It consisted of page after page of security information. Snorting, she threw the papers up in the air. They wouldn't be able to stop her; they couldn't. She grinned as the papers fluttered around her and chuckled.

Ginny couldn't wait to get her hands on the object. It would be fantastic and the Ministry wouldn't know what to do; she thought as she stood, the front page of the Daily Prophet held tightly in her fingers. The priceless artifact called to her while the remaining things on the page faded into the background. She would steal it, steal the object and disgrace the British Ministry of Magic and that would make her happy, oh so very happy.

Folding up the paper, Ginny stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans as she yanked her wand from its place in her messy bun. She stepped in front of the mirror in the room and her reflection stared back. She ruffled her fiery red hair as it fell out of the bun.

"You look quite the mess," her reflection told her.

"Suck it," she rolled her eyes as her wand twirled through her fingers and she contemplated which glamour to use this time. Nothing too noticeable, she pointed out mentally then nodded as the decision was made.

Ginny waved her wand around her body as she performed non-verbal magic. The air around her shimmered as the spell engulfed her and she watched in the mirror as her long, wavy red hair slowly shortened to chin length, straightened and turned pitch black; her skin darkened to a nice tan and her eyes lighten to a light blue.

She grinned as stared at her new self.

"I like it," she winked playfully at herself.

"It's not you, though," her reflection responded.

"It never is," Ginny shrugged as she turned her back and grabbed her cloak. "Time for some recon," she said as she grabbed her messenger bag, spelled all the papers into her bag and left the room.

* * *

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had witches and wizards rushing back and forth throughout the Ministry. The United States of America's President of Magic would be arriving late tomorrow afternoon and he would be bringing with him a priceless artifact that he will be donating to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister, as a sign of good faith between the two magical countries. It was very hush-hush right now but when it was presented, the British Wizarding World will be ecstatic and overjoyed. It will be a great honor and guess what…? She was going to steal it right from under their arrogant noses and it _that _would be the honor; Ginny thought with satisfaction as she sat on the edge of the fountain in the Atrium. No one paid much attention to her and she was perfectly alright with that. She crossed her legs nonchalantly and watched the commotion, pieces of conversations coming to her:

"- did you hear that the President of Magic was a handsome man? I've seen pictures but you never know –"

"- I heard that their Aurors are bloody nuts, mad gits –"

"- supposedly some famous music group is coming with them… not looking forward to it –"

"- I reckon security will be doubled when the wanker shows –" Ginny chuckled at that snip of conversation but she continued listening.

"- what do you reckon is this so called priceless artifact? You don't suppose it's something –" Ginny's ears perked up as she caught that bit. She looked up to see two men talking as they walked away from her. She jumped to her feet and immediately began to follow them.

She had no idea what the artifact was but she was hoping that she could find out. The two men continued walking in front of her. She followed, just at the end of eavesdropping point.

"What if it's some blasted book? That would be terribly boring." One of them said. He had light brown hair and was a little over six feet.

"It wouldn't be too bad if it was. Books are usually old." The second man shrugged his shoulder length blonde hair out of his face.

Ginny rolled her eyes. These two men were idiots! Of course it wasn't going to be a bloody book. How ridiculous was that idea. She shook her head. She'd get no answers from them. Sighing softly, she decided to call it a day. She'd done a few hours of recon and gathering information. She was prepared. She'd be back here waiting for the arrival of the President of Magic tomorrow afternoon, she'd catch a glimpse of it and where it would be held so she could form some sort of plan to retrieve it; she smiled slightly at the thought as she passed the two men.

"Jefferson, Cortez, what are you two doing just walking around – oof!" A familiar voice was saying when they collided with Ginny. She started to lose her balance but strong arms caught her. Her heart just about exploded in her chest as she looked up into emerald green eyes. Eyes she could never in her life forget. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Are you alright?" His rich voice asked her, sending shivers down her spine.

Ginny immediately jumped away, ready to make a mad dash out of the Ministry when she realized that he didn't recognize her. She almost laughed out loud with relief. He didn't recognize her! He was seeing a blue-eyed, dark haired beauty; not Ginny Weasley. She smirked.

"Yes, I'm sorry for running into you." She responded but noticed that his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her. It unnerved her; as if he was seeing past the disguise, past the glamour and seeing her, someone even she didn't know anymore. "Well, excuse me," she quickly rushed off without so much as a backwards glance and her mind turned back to her newest assignment, her next steal. Usually, she stole items for others but this… this one would be for her. The Ministry had ruined her life and her dreams. She would put back that part of herself that the world and Harry Potter once knew and be, once again, Fyrefox.

**A/N: She's Fyrefox? Yes, well, she's Fyrefox... the infamous thief. Interesting annnnd more to come on that! lol hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**:

"Please tell me you don't plan on canceling our lunch." A voice asked from the fireplace.

Ginny looked up to see Neville Longbottom's head appearing through the green flames; his dirty blond hair sliding over his light brown eyes and a scowl on his lips.

She sighed as she leaned back on her couch. She checked her watch to see that it was just past 2:30pm. She stretched, rubbed her eyes and groaned.

"No, I don't," she muttered as she started to gather all her papers that were scattered not only on the table but across the floor as well. It was pointless to even try to organize it. She sighed again as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll be there in twenty minutes, promise." She told him as she made her way to her bedroom instead.

"Should I let Hannah know you'll be having the usual?" He asked with a small smile.

Ginny nodded, "yeah, yeah, that would be fantastic. Also, a huge jug of Butterbeer; I've had one wretched day." She groaned as she disappeared into her bedroom.

She decided to take a quick shower and as she undressed, her mind drifted back to the artifact that would be arriving at the Ministry tomorrow afternoon. She couldn't figure out, for the life of her, what the bloody thing would be. She hoped it was expensive and irreplaceable. That would make this grab just _so _much better.

The Ministry had ruined her life, why would she care what happened to them once her job was completed? The answer was that she wouldn't; she didn't. She looked forward to seeing them scramble over themselves because of this and by sweet Merlin, she would love every second of it.

Ginny grinned as she turned the water on and slipped in; immediately being engulfed in the steam, she exhaled blissfully. The water felt amazing against her skin as she quickly washed up. As soon as she was finished, she got out of the shower, dried herself off and pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a black blouse. Magically drying her hair, she quickly pulled it back into a ponytail.

Leaving her bedroom, Ginny headed towards the door grabbing her bag and cloak but stopped to look at her living room and frowned. She had papers, maps and newspaper clippings all over the place. She sighed. She couldn't just leave her living room like this. What if someone broke in somehow and realized what she was up to and who she truly was. She couldn't have that; so, with that in mind, Ginny casted the strongest disillusionment charm she could and then suddenly, her living room was spotless.

Ginny smiled then shut the door behind her, putting up her highly efficient protection wards; then with a smile on her red lips, Ginny apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

Ginny stepped into the crowded pub and grinned. She could see Neville and Luna sitting in their usual booth towards the back of the place. The two of them looked over and Ginny waved. As she made her way over, she accidentally bumped into Hannah Abbott; the current owner/landlady of the Leaky Cauldron. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her cheeks were slightly flushed as she apologized to Ginny and rushed over to a table that was ready to order. Ginny chuckled as she made her way to the table and slide in next to Luna; previously Luna Lovegood until five months ago when she married Rolf Scamander, grandson of Newt Scamander.

Ginny grinned at her. Luna's dirty-blond hair was pulled back into a messy bun that was held up by her wand. Some things just never changed, Ginny realized and the thought was comforting.

Looking at her two best friends, she smiled. She hadn't seen Luna or Neville since before Luna's wedding. They'd owled each other but she'd been so busy with her _assignments_. She had been traveling and doing recon so she hadn't been able to see them. Yeah, she definitely felt like a rubbish best friend. She frowned deeply.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Luna's dreamy voice asked.

"Nothing, nothing, I've just had a terrible bloody day," she groaned but didn't elaborate. Thankfully, Neville and Luna didn't pry.

The two of them knew she was up to something, had been for the past four years, but Ginny would get secretive and distant if they asked her about it so they usually didn't broach the topic and she was forever thankful that they understood enough not to get it out of her.

She stretched and thanked Merlin when Hannah came to the table with three Butterbeers. Ginny took a grateful sip and exhaled loudly.

"Perfect," she mumbled to which the three others laughed.

"Well, here you lot go. Luna, your steak and kidney pudding, the shepherd's pie is for you, Ginny and finally, here's your lamb chops, Neville." Hannah smiled sweetly at the man.

Ginny looked over at Luna and winked playfully, "to be young and in love. I'm envious." She teased.

Both Neville and Hannah blushed furiously causing Ginny and Luna to chuckle.

"Bugger off, Ginny." Neville muttered as Hannah rushed off to collect dirty dishes.

"Oh, alright, I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. Both of my friends in love, one happily married. Blimey… something must be in the blasted water." She snorted.

Neville rolled his eyes. "Hannah and I have only been dating for three months. It's too soon to tell!"

"Hah, too soon to tell? Well, you're off your rocker." Ginny poked him lightly with her fork but the man pulled back his hand and yelped in pain.

"Oh, come off it. I didn't even poke you hard." She grumbled.

"It still hurt, Ginny!" He exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes.

"You two are like a bunch of children." Luna chastised the pair.

Both mumbled apologies. She smiled and went on eating her steak and kidney pudding.

"You know Ginny, I've been wondering…" Neville started but paused. He took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to start again. He caught Ginny's puzzled expression and hoped that she'd answer him before she stormed off. He _was _really wondering.

"What?" Ginny asked curiously. It wasn't like Neville to just stop talking. Maybe back in their early times at Hogwarts but over the years, he'd gathered a lot of confidence and never stumbled, stuttered or paused like he just did. She frowned, not know whether to be curious or worried.

"I was wondering about… Harry?" He asked and cursed under his breath as Ginny's fork stopped in the air and he looked to see her brown eyes blazing with anger.

"We are _not _talking about Harry bloody Potter," she said evenly but her voice was cold, dripping with the command.

Of course Neville wasn't going to listen.

He shivered slightly at her tone. It was neither pleasant nor expected from someone like Ginny, so lively, so… well, maybe it was. Ginny had become different since her graduation from Hogwarts. Maybe this was who Ginny was now under all of that.

He started again but nothing really came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "But… I heard that he was being offered the –" Ginny cut him off.

"I said no, Neville Longbottom." She hissed as she got to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Luna asked, a frown marring her face.

"I'm leaving. Excuse me." She told them coldly and then walked away.

Neville sighed and then jumped when Luna smacked him. He glared at her.

"Don't you dare give me that look, Neville. Why would you bring Harry up? We haven't seen her in months and now that she's here, you go and bring up _him_. C'mon!" She huffed uncharacteristically.

Neville frowned. "I'm sorry. I was just wondering because I ran into Ron and Hermione a few days ago." He sighed again as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I really am sorry. I totally buggered this up, didn't I?"

"She'll figure it out. Now, let's finish this up. Rolf and I are planning on going out tonight to look for this endangered species known as Corbanicus Redurious that travels at night and is supposed to get into your body through your nostrils and it takes over you completely, making you act like animals. Isn't that phenomenal?" She asked him, her silvery-gray eyes shining with excitement.

Neville nodded, not knowing what else to do as he caught sight of Ginny's red hair huddled together with an oddly familiar head of pale blond hair.

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe Neville's nerve bringing up that no-good bastard. Her body was on fire with anger; her hands shaking with the need to hit or break something; possibly both.

"Un-bloody-believable gits… just go and die," she growled under her breath when she collided with someone so hard that she stumbled and would have fallen into a table of drunken wizards next to her if someone hadn't caught and righted her.

She breathed out in relief. That could have turned messy; she realized and then looked to her rescuer.

"Thank you so – oh, it's you." She shook her head. It just wasn't her goddamn day.

"Hullo to you too, Weaslette," a husky voice said and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"There's no need for that, Malfoy. Let me pass so I can go destroy something, preferably where there aren't so many witnesses." She told him as she tried to get by him.

He chuckled and Ginny frowned. She couldn't figure out why Draco Malfoy, recently named the richest man in England, Europe possibly, was chuckling at something she said. They hated each other. Maybe he was drunk, she wondered..

"C'mon Weasley, let me buy you a drink." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear but Ginny wasn't having any of that.

"Go away, Malfoy. Better things to do then have a drink with someone like you." She walked by him.

"Better things to do then to discuss a _job _offer?" He asked and Ginny froze.

Discuss a job offer? Why would he bring up something like that? Her heart suddenly began to accelerate rapidly. What did he know? Better yet, what did he want?

Ginny slowly turned towards him and her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the arrogant smirk on his lips. As she took a few steps towards him, she stopped in front of him and allowed herself to get a good look at Draco Malfoy. His pale blond hair fell to his shoulders and framed his pale, aristocratic face. His charcoal gray silk button down shirt was tailored perfectly to his upper body and his black trousers fit snug against his defined legs. His sleeves were rolled back and displayed his muscular forearms. When her eyes returned back to his face, his eyebrows rose suggestively over his silvery-gray eyes. Ginny rolled her eyes.

Too bad Draco Malfoy was a cold, heartless jackass. He was too pretty for all that hate and evil that she was certain was running through his veins. But his views and beliefs didn't mean a thing to her. All she cared about was money and getting items back for people who had no other way of retrieving them. If that's what he needed, well, that she could provide for him.

"Do you approve?" He teased.

"Don't even get your hopes up." She glared at him.

"As you wish," he smirked, "anyway, little weasel… well, you aren't little any longer, are you? It certainly has been a while since I've seen you." He said flirtatiously.

"C'mon Malfoy, quit it." She crossed her arms and watched him.

The left side of his lips tilted slightly and he grabbed her arms lightly and began pulling her towards the door. "Yes, I know what you do and I would like you to retrieve something special… it was very important to me as it belonged to my late mother." He told her, his voice dropping faintly at the mention of his mother. Ginny hadn't even known that she had died. That was terrible.

She sighed softly. "How about you buy me that drink now?"

"No, first you tell me if you will do what I ask." He told her.

She rolled her eyes, "so bossy but yes, I will get back whatever was your mum's."

He grinned, "Lovely and now, about that drink…"

"Yes, I'll have –" she was saying when he cut her off.

"Oh no, no, no, we'll have our drinks while we're sitting in my study discussing the details back at my manor." He instructed and Ginny had no choice but to agree.

* * *

A week had passed since Harry had received his assignment and he was no closer to figuring out Fyrefox's identity. He was stressed and for some reason he couldn't get his mind off of that woman he had seen earlier today back at the Ministry. She wasn't physically familiar though her voice had sounded a bit familiar, not enough obviously; and she had even acted oddly when they had collided. She acted as if she knew who he was. Well… he guessed that that probably wasn't too far off. He was Harry Potter, the goddamn Chosen One.

Harry rolled his eyes at that. He would forever live with that. He had hoped that after the Second War had ended, he'd just be able to have a normal life but life just never seemed to go the way he wanted it to; he thought depressingly as he entered the Leaky Cauldron and caught sight of Neville Longbottom and Luna Scamander sitting in a booth in the back. He smiled.

This was perfect. Neville was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts currently. He'd gotten the position about a year ago. So maybe Harry could ask him to talk to McGonagall about the name Fyrefox. He could try to look for some background information there. That _had _to be where he had hear the name and why it seemed familiar.

Harry made his way to the bar and ordered a Butterbeer from Hannah. She smiled at Harry and asked him how his day was. Harry answered as he thought about Hannah and Neville. He would never had thought the two of them would get together but maybe he wasn't the right one to figure who would end up with who. He sighed at that thought. Merlin, he was in an odd place today. He took a sip of the Butterbeer when Hannah gave it to him.

As he started to make his way towards Neville and Luna, he caught sight of the most beautiful fiery red hair he had ever seen in his life. The fireplace in the corner set it aflame and he was mesmerized. It was her. It was Ginny Weasley; the haunter of his dreams, the reason his world was wrong, the girl that got away.

He recognized her right away and almost growled loudly as he was filled with possessiveness. He immediately quenched the feeling as he caught sight of her huddled close to Draco bloody Malfoy, of all the goddamn people in the world. He saw red.

He started to make his way towards them when Malfoy noticed him. He was standing in front of Ginny, who had her back to Harry. Harry could see Malfoy clearly as he stood a good five inches taller than the redhead. At seeing Harry, Draco smirked wickedly and leaned forward towards her so that he was about eye level with her. He then whispered something in her ear and Harry took another step towards them but froze as Ginny's chuckle filled his ears. She playfully swatted Malfoy's arm.

"Don't say that," her voice rang out.

Harry's heart suddenly dropped to his stomach as Malfoy slid his slimy arm around her waist, winked purposefully at Harry and the two side-apparated.

Something in him snapped while his mind was yelling at him that it wasn't any of his goddamn business who Ginny went around with. He had broken up with her, he had refused to get back with her when the Final Battle had finished and she'd asked. For some bloody reason, he was heartbroken just watching Ginny with another man. Even worse was that it was Draco Malfoy.

But the worst part, though, was that he had no one else to blame but himself for the pain he was currently feeling.

**A/N: I don't like the format here... the lines make it look weird lol oh well. What did you think about this chapter? It's longer than the others and I think it's better, personally ;) well, hope you guys agree.**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**:

That night, Harry sat at his desk back at Auror Headquarters and groaned. He was too riled up to get any sleep so he might as well catch up on paperwork. Merlin knew he had so much to do; Harry thought as he went through a report from an assignment he had done about a month ago with another Auror by the name of Jonathon Boards. The man had been a hassle to work with. For one, he was damn boring during stakeouts and then he was dangerous in the field; taking unnecessary risks, ignoring protocol and throwing precautions to the wind. Harry needed to file a complaint with Robards before the man retired and Harry would have to truly deal with it on his own. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. That was definitely something he wasn't looking forward to but one thing he had learned over the years, you have to take the bad with the good.

And now, Goddammit, the bad was showing up in his mind as a beautiful, fiery redhead walking away from him, disappearing into the darkness just out of his reach.

Harry shut his eyes tightly, removed his glasses and grounded the heel of his hands roughly against his eyelids. He didn't want to see Ginny Weasley. It just hurt him knowing that she wasn't his and that was nobody's fault but his own.

Over the past five years, after the Battle at Hogwarts, he hadn't seen her let alone spoken to her. He hadn't tried but he was certain that if he had, she wouldn't have allowed it. He knew that she had been heartbroken; hell, he had been heartbroken and that was a day, a moment that he was likely never to forget.

_"Where's Harry?" He heard Ginny ask Hermione as he left the Great Hall and tried to run away from what he was going to have to do. He hated it but he knew it's what needed to be done. Ginny wouldn't need him now, not like the Wizarding World was going to need him. He needed to help rebuild. He needed to completely focus on that, on the witches and wizards who would need him; not on a relationship, not on Ginny._

_"Harry? Is that you? Where are you going?" Ginny's voice called and he winced. It seemed as if he had no other choice then to do it now._

_So, he forced himself to stop and wait for her to catch up to him. As she stopped alongside him, he took a deep breath and turned to look at her and then his heart dropped to his stomach. _

_Merlin, she was beautiful, so full of life. Even though she'd lost much in this war, her eyes still sparkled with passion, with purpose, with the need to live on through the heartbreak. He hoped that she would be able to live on through this extended heartbreak. Just thinking that was like a kick to the stomach. He didn't want to hurt her. Over the last few months and when he had seen her fighting to the death in the Great Hall as he'd hidden under the invisibility cloak, he'd realized that he was in love with her. He had been for a while. He had just been afraid of those feelings. Now, he wasn't afraid anymore but unfortunately for her, for him, those feelings weren't enough to forget about his duty to the Wizarding World. He still had much he had to do before he could put his rusty armor aside and live without the responsibility he had been given when Voldemort had chosen him as his equal. He just hated that he was going to have to hurt her to do it._

_"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked him as she brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear._

_Harry followed that movement with his eyes. He wanted to touch those silky strands of hair. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to love her forever. Dammit, why did this have to be so difficult? _

_"Are you hurt?" She asked suddenly, grasping his hand within her two and pulled him closer to her so that he could see every different shade of brown sparkling in her bright blazing eyes. He gulped nervously. Being this close to her made him want to kiss her. Pulling her lips to his and just forget about the world, forget about responsibility, forget about duty, forget about –_

_"Everyone is worried about you in there." She told him and it was all the kick back to reality that he needed. He was all the Wizarding World had._

_"Harry, say something. You're worrying me." She frowned and bit her bottom lip nervously. Sweet Merlin, he just wanted to bite that – No! His mind screamed, stay focused, Potter!_

_He sighed as he looked back into her eyes and forced himself to take a step back, away from her._

_"Harry?" She asked, her eyes widening._

_"I'm okay," he told her._

_"If you say so," she replied but he could tell that she didn't truly believe him. Damn, she could read him so well. "There's something I wanted to tell you." She said then and Harry's heart dropped. _

_Please, please, please don't tell me what I think you're going to. Please, don't do it. His mind and heart yelled as she took a step towards him._

_He took a step back but she followed him._

_"I know we broke up because you felt that it wasn't safe for me to be with you while Voldemort was alive but now… now he's gone and I want to be with you because… well, because I love you. I love you so much since I was ten and even though I dated others, they weren't you. You were always the one. The one I wanted, the one I loved. Please, Harry, please tell me that you –" Harry cut her off. He just couldn't hear anymore if he was going to do what the Wizarding World needed._

_"No, Ginny, no, I'm sorry. We – we can't." He told her._

_Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second and then they narrowed dangerously. Harry gulped nervously._

_"Are you saying you don't love me?" She asked him._

_"No, that's not what –" she cut him off._

_"I know you love me. I can see it in your eyes, Harry James Potter. Why can't we be together?"_

_"We just can't." He said._

_"That's not an answer. I deserve an answer." She took a step closer to him. _

_"Because I – because I – I don't love you." He lied._

_"Liar," she whispered before she grabbed the front of his clothes and pulled his lips roughly against hers. The kiss was like no other. He'd never been kissed like this. It was filled with love, with passion, with commitment and that's what snapped him out of it before he could be caught up completely in the flow that was Ginny Weasley._

_He pushed her away roughly and she stumbled back against the wall. When he looked at her, her eyes were wide with shock and the confident look that he knew so well, that he loved was gone and all that was there was hurt, pain and it killed him to see it in her eyes. He wiped his mouth with his shirt and her eyes changed. They changed so quickly that it shocked him. The hurt, the pain, the confidence was replaced with anger, with fury so complete that he was certainly that everything around them was about to catch on fire with it; it burned so hot. _

_Ginny righted herself, wiping tears from her eyes and glared at him so murderously he almost checked himself to see if he was bleeding. She took a step towards him and whispered three words that proved to him that he had done what he needed to but also that he had killed it, ruined it, everything._

_"I hate you." _

_His heart nearly stopped._

_With that, Ginny turned and disappeared. _

Harry sighed as he leaned back, his head hanging back over the top of his chair. Tonight was a melancholy kind of night. His mind was filled with memories of Ginny Weasley and what they could have had. He'd always been plagued by the what if's but even more so now. For the last week, he hadn't been able to think about anything else.

What if he would have kept her and they would have helped rebuild the Wizarding World together?

What if he wouldn't have lied?

What if he would have loved her and put her first?

What if?

What if?

What if?

And what did he have now because of his choices? Nothing; he would become Head Auror and when he could have been getting married like Ron and Hermione, like Luna and Rolf, like everyone else, and building a family since he currently had all the time in the world, now he was alone, all alone. Without Ginny, who would now probably go off and marry some faceless wizard and have dozens of his children.

That thought sent a knife to his heart. Merlin, how many mistakes he had made five years ago.

* * *

Ginny was sitting in the study, in front of an extravagant and warm fireplace, in the Malfoy Manor. She couldn't believe it. She never would have believed, not in a million years that she would sit willingly in this git's study. She shook her head slightly as she took a sip of her glass of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and looked around the room. The walls were a dark green and all of the furniture was made of black wood. A big desk sat in the back of the room, framed by two huge shelves filled with books and artifacts. For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder if any of them were dangerous then grinned; of course they were. She took another sip and leaned back in the chair then looked at Draco.

"Are we going to get down to business?" He asked and she grinned.

"Of course," she took a sip, "I'm not here for the alcohol or your company."

"I would never delude myself into thinking you were here for my company." He winked playfully.

She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she just wanted to get the details so she could begin her search after the Ministry job was finished. Taking another sip, she looked at him. "Tell me."

"Of course," he smirked then chugged the remainder of his Firewhiskey and placed the cup on the table between them before getting to his feet and walking to the desk. He returned with a photograph. He held it out to her.

As she grabbed it, she noticed it was a photo of Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa sat in a chair, similar to the one Ginny sat in, in the study. She was wearing a dark blue elegant, strapless evening gown and her pale blond hair was pulled back in a sophisticated bun, a curl or two hung loose to frame around her sparkling blue eyes. The woman had been beautiful; so perfect yet so fragile, it seemed.

Draco stood behind his mother's chair with a glass in his hand. His hair was slightly shorter than it currently was, hitting just below his strong jaw line. He was dressed in a fancy black dress robe with a black shirt under and a silvery-gray tie that so perfectly matched his steely eyes. He stared straight ahead, seeming to look into the viewer's very eyes. It was unsettling. The only movement in the photo was every few seconds, the glass in Draco's hand would lift to his lips and he would take a sip but his gaze never faltered.

"This is from a year ago. It was taken before my mother fell ill," he explained.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ginny said as she continued to stare at the picture. She had never liked the Malfoys; especially considering that Lucius had tried to kill her and almost succeed and Draco was a grade-A jackass. She didn't know Narcissa but she was certain the woman hadn't been a saint. But unfortunately, that didn't take away the pain of losing someone you loved.

"So am I." Draco replied as he knelt beside her chair. He pointed to his mother's neck. "This is the item. It is a Black heirloom. A necklace, locket really, that has been handed down to the youngest daughter of each generation. It meant a lot to my mother but after her death, it was stolen and I don't have a bloody clue where it is and I want it back. If not for my youngest daughter, I'll just keep as a remembrance to my beloved mother."

Ginny looked closer at the locket and whistled lightly in appreciation. It was a beautiful locket. Rectangular shaped, an inch or so, it looked to be white gold and decorated with diamonds. "It's stunning," she admitted.

"Of course it is," Draco replied cockily.

Ginny rolled her eyes and decided to ignore that. "So, when was it stolen?"

"A week after mother's death, I came home from a business trip and my study had been ransacked. My safe, where the locket had been kept, had been broken into; which in itself is impossible. It was surrounded by strong spells, jinxes and hexes." He explained as he got to his feet and stood in front of the fireplace, his back to Ginny.

She sighed as she watched him. If he wasn't a Malfoy, this would be a job for the Department of Law Enforcement. Maybe Harry would have gotten involved since Draco is so incredibly rich. Ginny immediately frowned at her thoughts. No one needed St. Harry Potter or the bloody Ministry. She would take care of this quickly and discreetly. Something the Ministry would never do. And after, due to her involvement in ruining the Ministry, she could completely push Harry Potter from her thoughts.

With that thought, she remembered what he had said, "No, it's not impossible. Sorry to ruin it for you but it's possible that someone who knows all of your spells, jinxes and hexes was involved. I'd ask you if you had any enemies but we both know that that's pointless. So, instead, I'll ask you if you know anyone who would want your mother's locket?" She watched him as she asked.

Draco turned around and frowned. "No, not really; not many knew about it. Mother only wore it for balls or special occasions."

Ginny nodded. She drank the remainder of her Firewhiskey then got to her feet, "I reckon I've got all I need for right now. If you remember or have anything else you'd like to tell me, owl me." She said as she grabbed her cloak and bag. She looked at the picture again, "Can I keep this?"

"Want something to remember me by?" Draco teased.

"No," she snorted, "for reference, ferret."

Draco chuckled, "Certainly. It's all yours. Now, let me see you out."

* * *

The morning was finally appeared for Harry and the President of Magic from the United States would be arriving in ten hours or so. Harry ran his fingers through his hair as he walked back towards his office with a nice warm cup of tea. He'd gone for some breakfast but was quickly called back to his office. He took a sip of tea and closed his eyes, enjoying the heat from the tea traveling through his body, warming it. As he came to his office, he pushed the door open then shut it softly behind him.

Harry sighed as he looked around his empty office. He'd been here the entire night doing reports and trying to gather information about the elusive Fyrefox; unfortunately, nothing had come up about the thief.

He sat down at his desk, placed his tea beside him and dropped his head into his hands. He was a failure. He wouldn't get his damn promotion and Fyrefox would continue to terrorize the public and steal things! How terrible it that? He growled as his head fell to the desk. He was in trouble. He didn't know what he was going to do. Hell, he was in serious trouble, he realized as he sat up then noticed a paper lying on the corner of his desk. It's the Daily Prophet front page for today. The picture caught his eye and he quickly grabbed it.

_Today is the day! U.S.A and Great Britain!_

_"Today is the day that we make history! The President and I are looking forward to this allegiance. This is only the beginning…._"

The article went on about Kingsley and President Matthew Williams but the picture was of the Kingsley standing by an empty box. The box would be where the offering would be on display for everyone to see. It suddenly clicked into place. Most of the events that Fyrefox terrorized were Ministry events. The thief stole numerous things but he always, _always _caused trouble for the Ministry.

Fyrefox hated the Ministry for some reason. Find out who the person was, the reason would be supplied but Harry was certain, so certain that he could bet his career, his promotion on that Fyrefox would be in the crowd this afternoon checking out the priceless artifact. He would be doing recon and preparing for the steal; because with this steal, the President and the United States Ministry would be appalled and horrified by such a heinous crime. They would feel that they couldn't trust Kingsley and the British Wizarding World. The alliance would fall through, the Ministry could possibly be ruined.

"Oh Fyrefox… you're good…" Harry whispered as he placed the paper on his desk and stared ahead, his mind elsewhere.

He was planning, preparing himself. He needed to be ready for today and tomorrow when the Ministry, both the President and Minister, many others included, would be present for the ball that was being held.

Harry got to his feet and left his office. He needed to meet with Robards and Kingsley. They needed to be informed and then he'll prepare his team.

There really wasn't anything he could do about this afternoon because there would be so many people present and there was no way they'd catch the thief but tomorrow, oh _tomorrow_, he would be ready. He'd catch Fyrefox and solve this problem once and for all.

**A/N: He's figuring stuff out. Harry Potter, isn't he something special? God, love that character! Hope you guys like the new twist on Ginny Weasley. Yes, she's different but not without cause. **

**Review, favorite, follow this story and me, if you'd like... if that's how things work here lol anyway, thank you for reading.**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:

Ginny rolled over in bed and sighed happily. Today was the day. Finally, she thought with a smile. The President of Magic would arrive at the Ministry this afternoon with his beloved sign of good faith. She would finally get to see what the artifact was and then when everyone was admiring the object tomorrow at the Ministry ball, she'd steal it with the biggest grin on her face.

Merlin, would she be so bloody happy after that!

She smiled as she rolled over onto her back. Yes, today was only the beginning of the best days of her life. But first things first, she had a job to do before that. She might as well get started on finding the Black locket. The President wouldn't be arriving for hours. Now, she could enjoy her job before she caused all kinds of hell to break loose.

Sitting up, she stretched and yawned. She was tired but after a nice and warm cup of coffee, life would be just a bit better and a bit brighter; Ginny thought then chuckled. She pulled herself out of bed and quickly jumped into the shower; the warm water forcing her awake. The water cascaded down her body as she closed her eyes and sighed.

She had a lot of work to do but she could feel that excitement filling her body at the prospect of her job. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She retrieved the items and with every assignment, the Ministry grew more frustrated causing a euphoric high within her. It was splendid, fantastic, the greatest feeling in the world.

She was so looking forward to the two assignments; to keep her mind occupied on her tasks and away from Harry Potter. For some reason since seeing him, she hadn't been able to refrain from thinking about him for too long. It was distracting, it was disappointing. One would think that after hurting her and making his opinion on his feelings and their relationship was enough humiliation to last a lifetime. But no, the stupid git was still on her mind. She hated how foolish she was, how weak she was being. She was stronger than this! Ginny growled as she lightly punched the wall of her shower.

She was better off without him, better off without her blasted family telling her she needed to try harder to get him back. She didn't _want _Harry stupid Potter back! She would never stoop so low as to bow down and beg him to be with her. She didn't need him, she didn't want him. She was better without him! She thought angrily and then suddenly the cold water was drawing her attention and pulling her away from her angry thoughts. She laughed softly at how easily she had fallen into that internal and emotional rant.

Ginny shook her head as she got out of the shower. She couldn't believe how thoroughly distracted she had gotten. Harry Potter was going to ruin everything if she wasn't careful. Wrapping a towel around herself, she walked into her bedroom. She checked the time; it was 9:30am. She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans, threw on a blue, black and white plaid shirt and grabbed her black converse from under her bed; she walked to the living room where she sat down on her couch and tied her shoes. After, she checked her watch; 15 minutes had passed and she figured that the best place to start would be her contact down in Knockturn Alley. If the Black locket had been stolen, her contact down there would know and if she was lucky, they would know who stole it and maybe what happened to it after. Hopefully, the thief didn't turn around and sell it, though that would probably be the safest option for them.

Holding on to such a hot item like the Black locket, well, that's dangerous; Ginny thought as she went into the kitchen and began making some coffee the muggle way. She wasn't really in a hurry. She had time. Her contact didn't come out to play until well after 11:30am.

A few minutes later, Ginny's coffee was ready and she was sitting down at her dining table, sipping her coffee and reading the front page of the Daily Prophet. Present on the front page was a picture with the Minister standing next to an empty visible box. The offering would be in that box for the entire British Wizarding world to see. She couldn't wait until the object was there, in front of her very own eyes. She smiled as she remembered it was only hours away; just a little peek to hold her off until she would have in her arms tomorrow night. She had a plan, kind of. All she needed was to see what exactly the piece was and she could perfect the plan. She would be ready and nobody, not the Minister, not the Aurors, not Harry Potter, not the Wizarding world, would be able to stop her; Ginny smirked.

With that thought, she finished her coffee and put the mug in the sink. As she went to grab her cloak, she stopped and looked back towards her room. It would probably be best if she took precautions; one never knew who they would meet along the way. She rushed into her bedroom and into her walk-in closet. She pulled out her wand and muttered several strong revealing charms. A moment later, a two by two feet box appeared. A single "_alohomora_!" unlocked the box and it opened to expose ten smaller boxes within. Ginny looked at the ten boxes then picked the largest one and opened it.

"Polyjuice Potion" was inscribed neatly in her handwriting inside the lid of the box. Thirty vials lay within; fifteen of them empty. Pretty soon she'd need to restock her supply. She grabbed a vial and slipped it into her bag. It was just a safety measure. She probably wouldn't need it. Her glamour charms were usually strong enough but just in case, she would be prepared for anything. With a quick nod, she closed the boxes and then made certain the main box disappeared in a bundle of strong charms.

Ginny left her bedroom, grabbed her cloak and stepped out of her apartment into the late February morning. The air chilled her and she wrapped her cloak tighter around her. Merlin, she hated the cold. She loved the snow but hated the cold; yes, that was odd in itself but she couldn't help it. After making certain all the wards were up around her apartment, she looked around to make sure no one was watching then apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

Luckily, Ginny was able to apparate into the Leaky Cauldron or she was afraid she would have frozen her bum right off her body. She knew it was impossible but the mind didn't make sense when she was bloody cold. As she entered the pub, several people recognized her as she walked towards the bar where Hannah was cleaning. She quickly asked for a coffee to go to which Hannah nodded and disappeared for a moment. She returned with a portable coffee cup. Ginny quickly paid her and went on her but not before the questions began.

"A Weasley! How goes it?" An elderly wizard dressed in dark purple robes asked.

"Alright," she responded as she passed him trying avoid any further conversation.

"Hope your mum is doing well, dear." A middle-aged witch called out as Ginny passed her.

"Yes, just fine, thank you." She mumbled as she passed the graying dark-haired woman.

"Any more children in the Weasley lot?" Another wizard teased but Ginny was _so _passed being pleasant and polite, she just disappeared into the backroom as laughter filled the pub. She growled lightly as she lightly pinched the bridge of her nose. Blimey, she could punch something. People could be so bloody annoying!

Squaring her shoulders, she pointed her wand at the Diagon Alley entrance but before she entered the password, she decided on a quick glamour simply to change the color of her hair. Her fiery red was just _too _noticeable to comfortable, let alone inconspicuous. As she twirled the wand above her head, she felt the air shimmer with magic and watched as the hair in her line of sight change from a bright red to a dark umber color. She frowned as she twisted a strand around her finger. It wasn't a distasteful color but she most certainly preferred her natural flaming color; such a shame it was very loud. She sighed as she tapped her wand against the brinks and watched as the entrance appeared to Diagon Alley.

Ginny watched as people went back and forth with their business. They were all immersed in their own lives, so comfortably busy. It interesting but she had more important things to do that people watch. She took a sip of her coffee and disappeared down the dark streets of Knockturn.

* * *

Abram Vander waited silently against his usual post beside Borgin and Burkes. He checked his watch as he yawned; ten minutes passed twelve. Time was going by so damn slow though he had certainly not expected business to be slamming today of all days. People were busy on such a future changing event; Vander thought sarcastically. They were all a bunch of slaves, following the authorities like a bunch of little ants. Society couldn't do a thing without being told to do so. It was pathetic.

But not him, hell no. The _Man_ could kiss his pasty white arse. There was no way he'd do what _They _said. He was his own person.

"Abram Vander don't follow nobody!" He whispered aggressively.

"I'm certainly glad to hear that," a tantalizing voice called from behind him.

He couldn't help himself, he jumped slightly at her voice. She was standing a few feet behind him but he hadn't heard her approach, not even a whisper of a step. Nothing, absolutely nothing as if she had apparated behind him but he had missed the audible pop that usually accompanied. Vander turned to see her leaning, just like he was, against the wall of the store, her wand twirling effortlessly through her fingers. Her hair was a dark brown this time; he didn't know her natural color because she changed it every time she would come to him. Last time she'd been a dirty-blonde; the time before that, it was black and the time before that, it had been a light brown. The two things that never changed though were her bright brown eyes that seemed to see everything; never missing a single beat. And the smirk that was gracing her red lips. It was a wicked smirk and it made doing business with her enjoyable.

"Hello, Vander." She pushed herself away from the wall and brushed dirt off her plaid shirt, "did I frighten you? All 5 feet 3 inches of myself frighten all 6 feet of yourself? Now, that's not something I would expect." She teased.

Vander glared, "You wish."

She chuckled as she crossed her arms and looked up at him.

"Well, what can I do for you, Ms. Woolf?" Vander asked as he watched the darkness shadow her dark eyes. She looked around them to make certain they were alone.

"I'm looking for something," she told him.

He almost rolled his eyes but refrained. Of course she was looking for something. Woolf loved to draw things out. She never just came out and asked for the information. Most people asked, they got their answer and then they were on the merry way but no, not this Woolf witch. She never did things the easy way.

"Yes," he encouraged her. "What exactly?"

"I believe the item was stolen but I'm not certain. It's a locket. It's made out of white gold and decorated with diamonds. It's very meaningful for my employer." Woolf explained.

"The Black locket," Vander whistled in appreciation as he pieced it together. As he watched Woolf, he could of sworn her saw the left side of her lips tilt up but it must be a play of shadows.

"You know of it?" She asked her eyes narrowing.

"Know of it?" He snorted, "Hell, I've seen it. Yes, it was most definitely stolen." He ran his fingers through his graying hair.

"Who stole it?" Woolf asked as she placed her hands in her pocket. She looked like an innocent woman, but looks could be deceiving; especially when this one was involved.

"What will I be receiving for my services?" He asked. Hell, he wasn't about to give the information away for free. He wasn't the kind of guy.

Woolf's left dark eyebrow rose but she didn't say anything. She simply handed him a small bag and when he looked inside, it looked to be about 50 galleons. She watched him as he mentally continued the coins.

"I know your usual price for is 15 but think of this as, Virginia Woolf gets everything she wants for the next 3 visits without any problems." She told him.

Vander nodded without looking up, "some first timer thief who goes by the name Jain McCainster claims he stole it. I don't really believe him but hey, he showed me the locket and I had no choice but to believe him."

Woolf nodded, "so, where is this piece now?" She asked.

"I think McCainster was busted by some Ministry officials and they confiscated all his stuff." He explained.

"Perfect. Where is he so I can go ask him?" She asked.

"You can't," Vander looked up from the bag.

"What the hell do you mean I can't?" She growled.

"Relax there, Woolf. I just mean you can't. McCainster is dead." Vander smirked.

"How?" She crossed her arms as her eyebrows furrowed together. She was growing impatient. That meant that this meeting was fast drawing to a close.

"He attacked the Ministry. They fought back. He was hit with three killing curses simultaneously. I reckon it wasn't something pretty to watch." Vander snorted.

Woolf simply shook her head and sighed. "So, the Ministry has the locket. Merlin, this job just keeps getting better and better." She muttered sarcastically as she turned away from him. Before she disappeared into the shadows, she turned back and her eyes locked with his, "don't change spots, Vander. If I need you, I'll be coming back and I'd really hate to have to look for you," she added and then she was gone.

Vander shivered slightly. That woman, there just wasn't something right about her. He shook his head as he leaned back against Borgin and Burkes store. Hopefully, she wouldn't need him again. He really, _really_ wished she wouldn't.

* * *

Harry leaned casually against a wall in the atrium, arms crossed and wondering if time would go faster. He checked his watch and sighed. He was seriously anxious for the day to be over so that he could put his plans for Fyrefox's capture tomorrow in motion. But he had other things, more pressing things to do now before the President of Magic arrived in a few hours: a run through for the security detail for the day. There would be a lot of important people in the Ministry today and for the next few days. Specifics needed to be discussed, so Ron was on his way in and Robards wanted them to meet with a few other Aurors to go over the plans for the time they would be here. Tomorrow's plan for Fyrefox would be mentioned but not completely run through until tomorrow afternoon's briefing.

Impatiently, he ran his fingers through his hair as he watched witches and wizards walking to and from their destinations. It was so easy to get distracted in the thoughts of others' lives, he realized. It was easy to wonder what his life would have been like if he would have been just like them, just another wizard going around in his mundane life but unfortunately for him, he was anything but just _another _wizard. He sighed loudly as they continued to come and go. Just thinking about it was making me depressed and Merlin was he glad when he spotted Ron's head of red hair in the crowd.

"Finally," he mumbled as he pushed away from the wall and made his way towards his best mate.

"Oi, Harry!" Ron called him over. When Harry reached him, he noticed Hermione was with him.

"Hey, Hermione," he smiled. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he fell into step with the two of them.

Hermione looked at him and smiled back, "I've got to send a memo and then I'm going to wait until later for the President. I've been dying to meet him!" She told him enthusiastically. "Wow, this is so exciting! He's such an important person. I've read so much about him. I've also heard he's very handsome though you wouldn't be able to tell from the pictures."

Harry chuckled, "I don't know about that but I'm certainly he's probably been dying to meet you as well. Hermione Weasley, the epitome of genus." He teased.

"Yeah right, Harry, don't lie to her." Ron rolled his eyes. "The man doesn't care about anyone else. He's only dying to meet you. That's the only reason he's going through with this alliance. I reckon fear is involved, too. Figured they wouldn't want Harry Potter and the British Ministry against you; not like they were against Voldemort. I bet that's the reason." He snorted, "Bunch of pansy gits."

"Let's not get into this again." Harry sighed. "I'm no one's enemy but evil, dark wizards and witches and I'm certainly not interested in meeting anyone famous. There's only one infamous person I'm dying to meet and tomorrow will finally be the day." He explained to them as they made their way to the elevators.

"Still no news on Fyrefox?" Hermione asked as they walked through the passing people.

"Nothing as of yet but tomorrow, that will change." He grinned. "I seriously have him in the palm of my hand. All of this will end tomorrow.

"I hope so, mate." Ron said as Hermione frowned.

"Him…? You're certain?" She asked.

"Of course, 'Mione, it's got to be some idiot bloke who just likes to cause trouble." Ron told her.

"What, and women are unable to be thieves and outlaws? Have we forgotten about that vile woman, Bellatrix Lestrange?" She looked at the both of them. "I certainly haven't."

"I'll never forget that woman. But… she's dead." Ron replied.

"I didn't mean her, in particular. I was just saying that women could be bad too." She informed them. "Just be open-minded, will you." She sighed.

"If this is a woman doing all of this stuff, I just have to say, wow." Ron laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "For some reason, I just think it's a bloke. But I will be open to the idea. We'll be certain tomorrow." He grinned.

"Then this mess will be over." Hermione smiled.

"Definitely, I can't wait for some answers – bloody hell!" Harry cursed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Both Hermione and Ron jumped, along with a few people around him. Harry rubbed harder as pain laced his neck and cursed again.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Tell me you're not losing it?" Ron's blue eyes watched him nervously. "If you turn out to be raving mad, there definitely is no way I'm getting a raise." He said jokingly when he noticed Harry's expression.

"Ron!" Hermione glared at her husband.

"Sorry, no, I'm alright. I just… something either bit me or pinched me. It hurt. I didn't mean to yell. It just caught me by surprise. I'm okay now, I promise." Harry replied sheepishly. He was kind of embarrassed by his behavior. He had no idea what had happened but he was so surprised by the sensation of pain that he had cried out before he had even thought about it. It was an automatic response. "Must have been a bug or something…" He muttered as they entered an elevator.

"Must have," Ron agreed as him, Hermione and a few others entered behind Harry.

Harry turned towards the doors and sighed as they began to close. He frowned when he caught sight of a figure disappearing through the crowd; long brown hair and pale skin but he knew that body, he knew that face. The hair was wrong yet it had to be her. He took a step towards the closing doors but it was too late. They closed and the glimpse he had caught of her was gone.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I thought I saw someone but it couldn't have been," he told her but gave her no indication of who he thought it had been.

* * *

Ginny leaned against the stall in the loo and grinned at the black strands of hair in her hand. They belonged to one famous wizard, Harry Potter. That had her grinning even more; she'd gotten it without any trouble. She chuckled lightly as she slipped the strands into the flask of Polyjuice potion she held.

Things had just worked so perfectly.

Ginny had walked into the atrium and looked at the employees around her. There were so many witches and wizards passing by her and she didn't have a clue who she could turn into with the Polyjuice potion until she caught sight of her brother and his wife.

She had thought about using Hermione, knowing the brilliant witch could probably get Ginny into anywhere she'd want to go with no questions asked. Being best friends with the Chosen One and the brightest witch of her age usually warranted her privileges others couldn't dream about.

Ginny was set on it; she nodded to herself then began making her way towards the witch when Harry Potter stepped into her view and it had been like a sign from Merlin. The most perfect person in the entire Wizarding world, maybe aside for the Minister, to get her anywhere without question or speculation was Harry Potter; he definitely was the perfect cover.

She smirked as she caught up to the trio and fell into step behind them as they made their way to the elevators. All she needed was to grab a few strands and to slip away with another thought. She doubted that any of them would really figure out what had happened and if they did, well, she would be long gone on her little adventure here in the Ministry until later when the President would arrive. Then, yes, then the day would really begin; she thought than shook her head to focus herself. She was in the middle of a real assignment, not her vengeance scheme. She needed to concentrate to get this part of the plan in motion.

So, as they stopped in front of the elevator, she caught the conversation and smirked. They were talking about her; inadvertently but her, nonetheless. It was actually comical listening to them discussing if Fyrefox was a man or woman. She snickered softly and with her old seeker speed, she reached up quickly and yanked a few strands.

Ginny heard him curse as she vanished into the crowd, heading towards the closest loo.

It had worked so perfectly, she realized with a grin as the strands mixed with the potion and was ready. She looked at the flask and sighed. This was going to be nasty, Polyjuice always was.

"Essence of the Chosen One," she muttered to herself and without another thought, drank down the potion.

* * *

"Morning, Potter," someone called out for about the tenth time in five minutes. Ginny cursed under her breath as she nodded and righted her glasses as she continued on her way. She had transfigured a pair of sunglasses she had into Potter's specs but she felt as if they kept slipping down her nose every five seconds.

"Bloody glasses," she muttered as a pair of witches passed by. One waved as the other flushed to the tips of her ears. Ginny waved back but as they passed her, she could feel herself frowning. Why had that woman blushed? Did Potter know her? Did he know her personally? Or maybe it was intimately…? Did he even know her? She shook her head and yelled at herself mentally. What did it matter if he knew her? It's none of her goddamn business! Plus, it's not like she cared if he did…

Finally, she came to where she needed to be. Inventory for where the confiscated artifacts were. She looked around and when she noticed that no one was paying attention, she slipped into the office. Lucky for her, there was no one in the office. She grinned as she slid into one of the chairs and faced the endless aisles of objects. She tried the easiest thing she could think of. A quick "_accio_ Black locket" with no luck; sighing she looked at the closest desk and treaded through the files piling up.

Nothing.

"Bloody unorganized departments," she grumbled as she caught sight of more files.

Finally, Ginny came upon the files for the last few days. She rushed through the lists of items acquired and laughed at some of the foolish things, though some she seriously considered taking off the Ministry's hands. They would do better with her but right now, she was here for one thing and it'd be best if she was gone by the time the employees showed up.

She continued to search and finally found the Black locket on the list from two days ago. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't here. It wasn't even in the Ministry. The bastards had sold it. With no specific marks on the item, they figured it was just a lost item and decided to sell. How legal or right was that? Well, no one said that the Ministry wasn't corrupt; Ginny snorted.

"Blimey… and to the Parkinson family, no less." She mumbled as she closed the file. Well, there wasn't anything she could do now. She'd worry about it when she got home. So, she got to her feet and stretched; she needed to change for the President's arrival in a few hours. That brought a smile to her face as she left the office.

Just when she was about to turn the corner, she looked back to see two men enter the office she had left and snorted. Perfect timing, she thought as she checked her watch and noticed that the Polyjuice potion was almost out of her system. She figured it best to get to the closest loo and made her way over.

"You ready for today?" A voice called out to her and she turned around to see an unknown man. She cursed her luck. This would bloody happen to her now that she was about to change back.

The man before her was tall, well over six feet with shoulder length black hair that framed his tanned face; his light green eyes stood out. He seemed strong and looked as if he had a no funny business attitude.

Ginny sighed then cleared her voice. "Of course, when am I not?" She said in the perfect imitation of Harry's voice. It was very convenient when you grew up with the twins. They had taught her how to perfectly imitate anyone's voice. It was moments like now that she was eternally grateful for said times.

The man smirked and nodded then patted her shoulder as he passed.

As he disappeared, Ginny quickly rushed towards the loo and lucky for her again, no one was around to see Harry Potter slip passed the _Witches _door.

When the stall door closed behind her, she could feel herself changing back. She grimaced at the odd feeling and within seconds, her fiery red locks flowed around her. She sighed as pulled off the glasses and stuffed them into her back. With that, she left the loo and escaped the Minister with only one place on her mind: home.

* * *

"Hope everyone understands what they need to do. So, I leave you with that. Everyone off to their positions and prepare. The President should be arriving in half an hour." Robards stated as he stood in the conference room.

Harry settled back in his chair and sighed. Half an hour, the President would arrive. He couldn't believe that it was finally the time. He looked around at all the other Aurors and frowned. They all started to get to their feet and disappear off to where they needed to be. Harry stood as well but stopped when Robards called him.

"Potter, I'd like you to be here with Kingsley and I when the President floos in. Also, I'd like you, Weasley and Sharp to be his personal detail. I'd feel safer with the three of you by his side, including the one he's bringing with him." Robards said as he made his way towards Harry.

"Certainly, sir," he nodded. "I'll get them and be back in 10 minutes."

Robards returned his nod and Harry left, looking for both Ron and Jackson Sharp. As he walked towards Ron's office, he couldn't help but wonder what the President would be like. The man was an influential person and he truly hoped the man was legit, serious about his position like Kingsley, not like Fudge.

"Harry, something you need?" Ron asked pulling him out of his thoughts.

He looked up, "We're going to be following the President."

"Oh, is that right?" Ron sighed. "I reckon that's supposed to be an honor?" He snorted.

"Ronald!" A voice cried and Harry and Ron looked over to see Hermione standing at his door, her hands on her hips. "How dare you say that? That's the President! It _is _an honor!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I was kidding, 'Mione. Geez. Relax there, woman."

Harry laughed at the couple.

"Oh – oh – oh, Harry! This is fantastic! You can make connections! What if…" Hermione stopped and looked at Ron and Harry then frowned.

"What if what?" Ron asked with interest.

"Yes, Hermione, what if what?" Harry's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Hermione was thinking and truthfully, he didn't want anything to do with it.

"Well… what if one day you… you know…" She muttered.

Ron laughed and nudged Harry in amusement. "Holy Merlin! Look at Hermione. She's speechless! Now that's not something you see very often!" He laughed.

She glared on Ron, "do you want to sleep on the couch tonight and for the rest of the month?"

Ron laughed as he made his way to his wife and threw his arm around her shoulder. "I'm only joking, 'Mione. I love you very much."

Harry laughed at Ron's tactics. Leave it to his best friend; one wouldn't believe that this man, years ago, couldn't smooth talk his way through anything. It was truly something.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione chuckled. "I love you, too." She muttered; a slight blush to her cheeks.

Harry smiled as he looked at them but couldn't forget what Hermione was thinking. Truthfully, he didn't want _anything _to do with being in that much power. All he wanted was to catch some bad people and retire when he was old enough so that he could build his future with a family. He sighed.

"That's a heavy sigh, mate." Ron looked over at him.

Yes, there was no way Harry would _ever_ become Minister. He didn't want that. He sighed again and looked towards the door.

"Ron, we should be going. We need to find Sharp and be on our way." He said as he made his way to the door. "Bye, 'Mione. See you later."

"See you later, Harry." Hermione smiled after giving Ron a quick kiss. "Where are you going?" She asked Ron.

"Security detail, I reckon." He grinned at her and followed Harry.

They made their way back to the conference room, Sharp's office on their way. As they passed his office, he was leaning against the door frame, watching them.

"Potter, Weasley," he nodded.

"Sharp, we've been picked for the President's detail." Harry told him.

"Figured it would be something like that," Sharp pushed away from the door frame and fell into step with the other two men. "Potter, I forgot to ask you this morning about the plan tomorrow."

Harry frowned as he looked at Sharp; he didn't remember seeing Sharp this morning but maybe Sharp had seen him before the meeting. He shrugged it off and answered him, "we were going to go over it at the meeting earlier but Robards was really worried about the security for today since the President would be arriving today."

"What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?" Sharp asked.

"He thinks the peace offering is going to be –" Ron was saying when Harry clasped his hand over his mouth as he looked around.

"Ron, there is no reason to get ahead of ourselves." He said.

Ron rolled his eyes, "you're too paranoid, mate."

"That's not being paranoid, that's being prudent." Sharp nodded as he brushed his shoulder length black hair behind his ear.

"So, that's what that is!" Ron snorted and Sharp just rolled his eyes.

The three of them finally reached the Conference room. Kingsley and Robards were talking to each other as they entered.

"Good afternoon," Kingsley smiled. "It's a big day! The President and his group will be arriving soon. I opened my fireplace for them to floo in safely at precisely 5pm." He checked his watch. "Ah, 15 minutes, so let's head over there."

With that, the four men followed the Minister to his office. They spoke casually as they waited for the arrival time. Finally, green flames appeared in the fireplace and they jumped to their feet. A man, well over six feet with a slight beard and ear length black hair stepped through the flames. His dark eyes searched the room for any threat and when he didn't find any, he looked at Kingsley and nodded slightly.

"Minister Shacklebolt, good afternoon," his voice deep and his American accent very noticeable.

Harry, as well as Sharp, Robards and Ron, took a step forward and stepped in front of the Minister. They were all in Auror mode.

The man grinned and crossed his arms, "It's alright. My name is Jack Times. I am Head Auror to President." He was saying as a man stepped through the green flames and stopped behind him.

Harry knew that this was the man. _This _was the President of Magic. His presence alone was bigger than life and he knew that the man was a no nonsense kind of leader. Harry smiled slightly as a few other Aurors stepped out of the green flames but his eyes didn't stray from the President.

President Matthew Williams was an impressive man. He stood at just below 6 feet, his hair cropped close to his scalp, light blue eyes that seemed to see right through lies and a stance that he was certain people in the muggle military used.

The President took a step towards Kingsley and smiled slightly; the smile softened his face. He held out his hand for Kingsley to shake, in which the Minister did without pause.

"Minister Shacklebolt, it's a pleasure to meet you." President Williams nodded.

"The pleasure is all mine; it's an honor to have you here." Kingsley smiled.

"This is the beginning of a great alliance." The President smiled and looked around the room, his eyes stopping on Harry who noticed the man's gaze zoom in on his scar. He sighed internally. He really should consider covering it up. There had to be some sort of spell.

"Mr. President, please, this is Harry Potter." Kingsley introduced as he noticed the President's attention turn towards the young man.

"Mr. Potter, I've heard so much about you." President Williams crossed his arms are he looked at Harry.

Harry fidgeted, "So have I. Like the Minister has said, It's an honor to have you here with us."

"Mr. President, I know you've brought your own detail, but I'd feel safer if Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Sharp joined in your protection as well. This is Mr. Robards, Head Auror and he'll go over some details with you, if that's alright." Kingsley explained.

President Williams nodded, "that would probably be wise."

A minute later, the Minister, President and Robards were locked in a discussion about security. Harry watched and looked over when Jack Times took a step towards him.

"Harry Potter…" Times grinned. "You're smaller than I thought you would be." He teased.

Harry's eyebrows rose in shock, "that's probably true."

Times chuckled, "aren't you just an agreeable person."

"I try," Harry crossed his arms as he watched the others in the room.

"It will be interesting working with you. I'm looking forward to it." Times grinned.

Harry nodded as Kingsley and the President turned towards them. Kingsley checked his watched and smiled.

"The presentation will be in about an hour. Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded and Harry wondered, not for the first time, what the peace offering would be. He figured it would only be a bit longer and then he'd get an eyeful of the object that would put Fyrefox right in the palm of his very hands.

**Ah! And the fun is really beginning! Next chapter, I believe we'll be getting to the good part ;) please, be patient. It'll be up in a bit, promise! **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**:

Ginny walked into the atrium with a wide smile on her face. It was happening in a few minutes. The grand reveal of the piece offering in the ballroom. Sweet Merlin, she felt like she had been waiting forever for this bloody moment; she thought as she brushed her spelled black hair behind her ear. She glamoured herself once again, just as a precaution but tomorrow she wouldn't be. She would be going to the ball as herself, Ginny thought with a smile.

She walked through the throngs of people waiting for the big reveal and sighed, her mind momentarily wandering to the Black Locket and how she would procure it.

Ginny knew that back in the day when everyone was _happily _attending Hogwarts, during the Second War, the Malfoys and the Parkinsons had been as chummy as a dysfunctional family would be. It was well known that they ran in the same social circle as Voldemort. To others, it was appalling but she was certain that to Voldemort's followers, it was fantastic.

Ginny sighed again. Just her rotten luck that the Parkinsons and the Malfoys were no longer "friendly"; after the Second War ended, they each went their own way and tried to keep away from each other. If they'd still been chummy, maybe this job would have been easier… or nonexistent. The Parkinsons would hand over the Black Locket happily and the Malfoys would probably reward them with some priceless artifact or a proposal of marriage. Ginny snorted at that thought. If she remembered Pansy Parkinson well, Draco Malfoy would be better off marrying a hippogriff or a troll. Not only had the girl been hideous, her manners were especially foul. Well, it wasn't any of her business how things _would _have been because they hated each other and thankfully, because of _that,_ she would be paid handsomely.

With the money from that job and the satisfaction from stealing from the Ministry, Ginny could go into early retirement and disappear. The thought was definitely appealing, Ginny considered as she passed by a group of witches gossiping about the American President.

"Oh dear, I can't wait to see him!" A middle aged witch giggled.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she passed.

"Do you think we'll be able to see him?" Another asked.

"I heard he is _very _handsome," another said.

"It'll probably only be for a while. I heard he has doubled the security than usual." One said and Ginny stopped to listen in.

"Doubled the security? Why?" The first witch asked.

"They didn't say but I heard it's the youngest Weasley boy, the Sharp man and Harry Potter."

Ginny stifled a groan. Not only Ron, but Harry too! Bollocks, this was going to complicate things. At least she wasn't stealing the thing tonight. She just wanted to see what it was.

She ran her fingers through her hair; silently thanking Merlin she put up the glamour. No one would recognize her. She grinned as she passed the gossiping witches, finally into the ballroom and headed towards the front of the crowd where she caught sight of the empty box.

The sight made her smile as she stared at its empty content. That's how it would look again tomorrow night once she stole it. Merlin, she was so blasted excited!

She looked around at all the other witches and wizards in the crowd around her. She thought she caught sight of the Patil twins, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell and a few other kids from Hogwarts. She almost jumped when she noticed Neville making his way towards her but he turned to her right before he got to her and Ginny looked to see Hannah standing a few people to her right. She almost laughed. She kept forgetting about the glamour. She also saw Luna and Rolf a few feet to her left and also Hermione walking alone in the crowd, trying to make it to the front.

Ginny frowned as she watched her newest sister-in-law. She didn't really see Hermione too much since they graduated from Hogwarts together. They had been really close but after graduation, Ginny had gone her own way; into the shadows of gray, far beyond the sides of black and white.

Honestly, Ginny missed Hermione some times and with that thought, as Hermione trudged towards her, looking for a spot, she motioned the witch towards her.

"You can see from here." She told Hermione.

"Oh! Thank you so much! I've been dying to catch a glimpse of the President!" Hermione smiled and Ginny smiled back.

"I bet. He is an important man." Ginny agreed.

"Yes, he most certainly is." Hermione nodded as she looked towards the box. "What do you suppose the object will be?"

"You don't know?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"No, do you?" Hermione looked at her suspiciously. "Why would I?"

"Well, I heard that R – Mr. Weasley would be with the President and Minister. I figured you would know." She shrugged.

"You know who I am?" Hermione asked as she continued to stare.

Ginny laughed, "Everyone knows who you are. You're Hermione Granger."

Hermione snorted, "Weasley now." She said as she held up her left hand. "But, I'm sorry. I forget myself sometimes. Of course, I'm sorry for being so… suspicious." She apologized.

"Don't worry," Ginny brushed it away.

"Since you know who I am, reckon I can know who you are?" Hermione asked politely.

"Oh, I'm Nadia Donnas." Ginny thought up right on the spot. The trouble with glamour and faux identities; she thought with a sigh.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nadia." Hermione smiled and shook Ginny's hand.

For a second, Ginny felt bad about lying but then the feeling disappeared as she caught sight of Harry, Ron and another man. She was shocked to find out that it was the man who had spoken to her earlier when she'd been Harry and was walking through the Ministry. What a small world.

"Who is that man with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, that's Jackson Sharp. He's a fellow Auror. I reckon Kingsley and the President should be arriving soon…" Hermione was saying when the Minister and the President both appeared behind the three followed by three other men that Ginny didn't recognize. They must have been the President's Aurors.

"It's the moment of truth…" Ginny whispered.

"What was that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing, just talking to myself," Ginny smiled as she looked back towards the approaching group.

Yes, it was definitely the moment of truth that would be the downfall of Harry Potter and the Ministry.

* * *

"Welcome, everyone!" A voice called out, drawing attention towards the empty box. The Minister stood with his wand against his throat. He was using Sonorus, his voice carrying out over the large space. A smile on his face, he turned towards a door behind him and waved his hand, "It's a great day! Allow me introduce you all to the United States of America's President of Magic, Mr. Matthew Williams." The Minister continued to smile. "The President and I had been talking and we have come to some sort of allegiance. For the better part of a month, we've been discussing ways to bring our two communities together; many school activities between Hogwarts and Liatris Academy have been brought up and events with the public; starting with the ball tomorrow." The Minister grinned, his dark eyes sparkled with excitement.  
Ginny rolled her eyes. She didn't give a damn about the two communities coming together; actually, she'd be pretty bloody happy if the allegiance would come apart at its seams after she was finishes with her stunt. That thought brought a smile to her lips.  
"Oh, I'm ecstatic! Aren't you, Nadia?" Hermione asked, her voice literally brimming with enthusiasm.  
Ginny almost groaned at the woman. She needed to get herself under control; the man was only human! He had weaknesses just like everyone else. "Yes, yes, I'm jumping with happiness," Ginny mumbles in response to the overexcited woman.  
Hermione chuckled as she clapped her hands. The President was making his way to where the Minister was standing, a slight grin on his lips, his dark eyes searching the crowd. Ginny wondered if he had been an Auror before he took the Presidency. As he continued forward, Ginny caught sight of six men behind him. She instantly recognized Harry and Ron, also the Sharp man she'd run into. The other three she figured were the President's men. They quickly flanked him, deadpanned expressions, eyes searching, assessing every single person in the ballroom.  
"Good afternoon," the President nodded, "it's a pleasure to finally be here in front of you. I look forward to both of our groups working together peacefully." He waved happily as the crowd broke into applause.  
What a load of rotten pumpkin pastries, Ginny sighed softly as she crossed her arms and watched the President step towards the box; suddenly her heart was in her throat, her skin cased in goose bumps, her breath coming quickly. This was it.  
"England and the United States of America are two great countries that have suffered many dark days, causing many to wonder if the sun would ever grace their skies again. They were morose times.

"But finally, one day, the clouds parted and the sky was the clearest blue ever seen. Now our countries, covered by their own scars, can come together and bind ourselves with a token from us that will forever show that we will be united in the future, proudly."  
The applause was deafening. Ginny almost cringed as she watched the Minister come towards the President and the two shake hands. Cemented, his words rang truth through the crowd and into their hearts. Well, the people would be devastated when the truce was broken between the two nations and though Ginny should feel bad, she didn't. The people deserved better than a government that ruined its people's lives. The ministry would get what was coming to them, and in Merlin's eyes, the punishment would be justifiable.  
"Thank you, Mr. President, your words are just what we need." the Minister smiled and walked to the other side of the empty box. "Speaking about token..." he added with a playful wink."You don't suppose we should wait to present the artifact?" He asked.  
Ginny almost growled out loud angrily. It was more than bloody time for this blasted thing to be shown.  
"I think the anticipation has reached a new high," the President chuckled.  
"Oh alright. Just bugger up all the fun." The Minister chuckled as well.  
The President turned to one of his Aurors and called him over. The man was very tall, with thick dark hair and tanned skin, also a light beard covering his chin. Ginny watched him appreciatively. The man was menacing looking and seemed to ooze danger and strength. With every step he took, Ginny was certain every witch in the room watched his muscles ripple through his casual apparel.  
"Jack, my box, please." The President asked, holding his hand out to the man.  
"Yes, sir," the Auror nodded as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a tiny box, about an inch long and wide. The man handed it to the President.  
"Thank you, Auror Times," he answered with secretive smile on his lips.  
Auror Jack Times eyebrows narrowed as his lips formed a flat line but he held his tongue; Ginny nodded to herself in admiration. The man was annoyed or upset about something but he kept his head.  
The President held the small box in the palm of his hand, pulled out his wand from within his robes and pointed it at the miniature box. He twirled his wand above the box and a second later, as the air around it shimmered from the magic, the box enlarged to about two feet by two feet.  
Magic, it blew her mind sometimes; Ginny thought as a smirk slid onto her lips. It was seconds away; her body was humming with anticipation.  
"I wonder what it is..." Hermione muttered beside Ginny, scaring the girl slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?"  
Ginny shook her head without looking away from the mahogany box in the President's hands. "No, you just surprised me. I had forgotten you were there. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Nadia, I understand. I still get a bit jumpy every now and then," Hermione smiled kindly and for a second, Ginny felt horrible for lying to her. She took a deep breath and watched as the President lifted the lid of the box and stared down at the priceless artifact in silence; the crowd in the ballroom holding their breath.

"When I first became President, the predecessor wasn't… serious about his job. He wasn't up to the position that he was given and when I came into office, it was a mess. One that I spent many years trying to clean up and finally, a few years ago, I'd accomplished something many hadn't been able to do in years.

"At that time, a friend of mine was traveling when in the mountains of Trivatora, a magical area in the wilderness of Maine; he came upon a dying animal that was the head of its herd. Upon meeting, the animal and the man became great friends as my friend tried to save it but he couldn't help. Well, right before the animal died, he gifted my friend with this artifact. In remembrance, my friend had it encased in gold and gave this artifact to me as tribute to our friendship and the work I have done with our government." The President explained as he continued to look at the box with a soft look in his eyes. He pulled out the artifact and the crowd gasped.

Ginny's eyes just about popped out her eyes. It was beautiful in a haunting way. In the President's hands was a unicorn horn that was encased in gold. It sparkled as the overhead lights hit it and though it shouldn't be something that should be encased in gold, it was just so perfect; Ginny thought as she watched the President take a step towards the Minister and placed the object in his hands.

"It's not diamonds or something of the sort but it's important to me and something I would like to share with you all. That is why it is priceless." The President added as the Minister took the artifact and laid it within the clear box. "It will bring us together and it is the beginning of a beautiful union, don't you agree?" He asked and the crowd broke out into applause.

Ginny wasn't really paying attention, her eyes focused on the golden unicorn horn. It was perfect, so perfect and it would be all hers tomorrow and the Ministry would lose everything, Harry Potter included. Merlin, she couldn't wait!

* * *

It could be anyone and that unnerved him greatly as he stood behind the President, searching the crowd as they watched the President. For the past twenty minutes, reporters from the Daily Prophet and other papers had been asking questions but Harry was only listening with half an ear, he was too busy trying to see Fyrefox through the crowds. It was no good, really; he didn't think he'd find out who he was now but tomorrow… well, tomorrow he would be ready.

As he looked through the crowd, he caught sight of Hermione standing by a dark haired beauty. She looked familiar but all he could see was the look in the girl's eyes, they had an odd glint to them but he didn't try to think about it too much. He looked over at Hermione who was watching the President and the artifact with a look he completely recognized. Hermione Jean Weasley was entirely intrigued.

Harry sighed.

"Problem there, mate?" Ron asked from beside him.

Harry shook his head. "Just trying to see…" He mumbled.

"He's seeing Fyrefox in everyone's face," Sharp added from the other side.

"Aren't you?" Harry asked with a glare.

"Who's this Fyrefox?" Jack asked as he returned from his position in front of the President. The other two Aurors were now standing beside their boss, silently.

"A menace is all," Sharp answered.

"Sounds like trouble," Jack nodded.

"That he is, that he is," Harry agreed. "He's a thief who is planning on stealing the artifact."

"Hmm, seems like more than trouble. Great," Jack sighed. "I need a vacation." He groaned.

"A vacation," Ron frowned. "A vacation would be brilliant! Bloody hell, all work and no play."

Jack laughed, "Bloody brilliant…" he joked with a fake British accent. "Yes, a vacation with a beauty. That would be nice." He smiled as he looked around at the crowd. "Well, anyway, you don't suppose this thief…Fyrefox or whatever called them, will change their mind about stealing the artifact?" He asked seriously.

"No, he won't. It seems as if he hates the Ministry and would do anything to cause it trouble." Harry answered.

"Well, that's unfortunate," Jack rolled his eyes. "He'll only be after the artifact? Not the President, right?"

"Just the artifact; from what we've observed, Fyrefox is only interested in stealing and causing trouble, not hurting people." Sharp answered as they all looked around them.

"You don't think it's a dark wizard?" Jack asked.

"No, just a wizard with a love of trouble, is all." Harry replied as he noticed the President and the Minister turn towards the four of them.

"Sounds like the good ol' days," Ron mumbled as they all took steps towards their bosses.

Harry snorted; the good ol' days, yeah? Hmm, he remembered it and remembered it well. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside because for some reason, Ginny Weasley seemed to slither herself into his memories. He groaned mentally as they caught up to the President and the Minister.

"All done, sir?" Sharp asked.

"Yes, for now. Time to get some sleep," The President replied.

"Sleep…?" Jack snorted. "You're an old man." He mumbled.

The President's eyebrow shot up at that remark. "Don't tell me you're still upset."

"Auror Times was my old man! You know I hate it when you call me that!" He frowned.

The President chuckled, "What a baby. Do I need to put you to bed, Jackie boy?"

Jack glared. "Don't be an ass."

Everyone laughed as they left the ballroom, both the President and the Minister, waving to the masses. A few witches squealed as the President waved at them and Harry caught Jack roll his eyes.

"Problem?" He asked the man.

"Nothing," Jack grinned at Harry. "By the way, Potter, you much of a drinker?" He asked.

"A drinker? Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"I like to drink with people. It says a lot about a person." Jack answered.

"Drinking…?" Harry frowned.

"You don't drink?" Jack asked.

"We all drink," Ron answered with a wink. "Who doesn't?"

"Let's meet in Potter's office after the bosses call it a night." Sharp said as he walked passed them to step in front of the President and Minister, leading the way.

"Not a man of money words, is he?" Jack asked as they followed behind.

"Nope," Harry replied.

* * *

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow's ball?" Jack asked as he took another sip from his Ogden's Firewhiskey and leaned back on the chair in Harry's office. "It's going down tomorrow night, right?"

"That's what we think," Sharp answered as he ran his fingers through his hair, placed his empty glass on the table then crossed his arms. "This man is playful but isn't malicious. It would seem that he hates the Ministry, reasons unknown but he likes to cause trouble by stealing and disrupting. The Golden Unicorn Horn is exactly the kind of thing he would steal."

"We'll catch him and everything will be perfect," Ron added as he chugged the remainder of his Firewhiskey.

Harry nodded as he finished his drink; he then lifted his wand and with a swish, the four empty cups were filled. Each thanked him and simultaneously took a sip.

"Aren't you worried that you're over thinking this… maybe just a little bit?" Jack asked as he crossed his ankles.

Harry watched Jack from above the rim of his cup. The man was relaxed, sipping from his third glass of Firewhiskey. He was watching the three of them, waiting for an answer.

"Over thinking it? No, definitely not," Ron said.

"He'll be at the ball, I know it. Rotten luck for him, I'll get him." Harry muttered as he took a sip. "He'll play right into the palm of my hand."

"Reckon he won't know we're ready for him." Sharp added as he grinned.

"You catch him then what?" Jack placed his cup on Harry's table and crossed his arms. "He goes away to that fancy prison you guys have in the middle of nowhere?"

"Something like that," Harry said.

"Don't you think that's much?" Jack's eyebrows rose.

"Not if the Golden Unicorn Horn is stolen and something happens to the allegiance. It could ruin something between the President and the Minister." Harry told him.

Jack sighed, "Yeah that would look bad." He agreed.

"Anyway, we're expecting Fyrefox to show himself tomorrow at the ball. There will be additional security in the room; those in official uniform and others undercover. Of course, the President and the Minister will be thoroughly protected but around the artifact box, there will be spells and enchantments. I'll be waiting for him to take it because when he does, I'll be there." Harry said.

Ron, Sharp and Jack watched Harry as his eyes glazed over. The man wasn't in the room with them anymore; oh no, he was hours away, tomorrow evening as the ball was in full blow watching, waiting, preparing for when Fyrefox finally revealed himself to Harry.

"Is he always like this?" Jack asked as he took another step.

"When he has an idea," Sharp nodded.

"Ever since I met him, he's always been like this." Ron added as he sighed. He checked his watch and sighed again. He got to his feet and the other three men looked at him; the movement pulling Harry from his future plans.

"Where are you off to?" Harry asked.

"What a lightweight! Don't tell me you're drunk already?" Jack snorted.

"Blimey, mate, there's no reason to say that!" Ron glared at Jack.

"'Blimey, mate,' I can't believe you actually say that. Do you say cheers too?" Jack teased.

"Bugger off," Ron grabbed his cloak. "Unlike the rest of you, I have a wife. I've got to get home eventually unless I want to sleep on the couch."

"Wife – _shmife_!" Jack laughed. "How _boring!_ Go on, go on," he waved Ron away.

"We'd better be going as well," Sharp finally said as he got to his feet. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Harry nodded as he finished the remainder of his Firewhiskey, the others following suit. As they placed the cups back on his desk, he magically cleaned them and then slid them into his desk. As they left his office, Harry, Ron and Sharp turned left as Jack stopped and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sharp asked.

"I'm staying with the President. How do I… get… there?" He asked looking both ways.

"I reckon it would be best if I take you. You'll get lost if not." Harry said but Sharp waved him off.

"You get some rest. I'll show him the way. See you tomorrow, Potter and Ron, tell Hermione hullo for me." With that said and a small wave from Jack, the two of them set off. Ron and Harry turned in the other direction and when the two of them reached the apparition spot, they disapparated; Ron to his lovely wife and home, Harry to his empty, cold bed.

* * *

"Wow, Ginny, that dress is so beautiful!"

Ginny looked up from her mirror to see Luna standing at her bedroom door. Ginny smiled as she ran her fingers down the bodice of the soft fabric of her black, formfitting strapless gown. She looked in the mirror to see Luna walk towards her wearing a fuchsia halter gown; it was beautiful, loud and totally Luna.

"The men's minds will be lost and thin Wrackspurts have made their brains fuzzy!" Luna smiled dreamily.

"Hey, hey, you're married," Ginny winked playfully.

"But you're not," Luna shrug nonchalantly. "Maybe you'll meet someone tonight…" she wondered aloud.

"I bloody doubt it," Ginny muttered as she painted her lips with lip gloss. If anyone really saw her tonight, she hoped it wasn't the Aurors; she snorted.

"I am surprised you're even going, Ginny." Luna added as Ginny followed her into her living room where Neville, Hannah and Rolf were talking lightly to each other.

Ginny shrugged, "I figured I'd make appearance so that everyone wouldn't think I'm up to no good." She said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"You're usually up to no good," Neville grumbled but got to his feet.

"Let's go," Ginny ignored him and followed the four of them to the door. "I'm ready for the party."

The ballroom was overflowing with colors of beautiful gowns and handsome dress robes. It had been a long time since Ginny had been to a thing like this. Usually, she dyed her hair, glamoured herself but not today; yes, it was risky but she would steal this artifact, the Golden Unicorn Horn as Ginevra Molly Weasley. If she could let it be known to everyone, she would shout it from the rooftops but she didn't want to end up in Azkaban for the rest of her life.

Ginny sighed as she entered the ballroom behind Neville and Hannah; the former's midnight blue off the shoulder gown, trailing slightly on the floor. The room was elegantly decorated with sheer white drapes hanging from the ceiling and white lantern candles hanging throughout the room. It was a beautiful sight.

As they walked into the room, the first thing Ginny noticed was the beautiful Golden Unicorn Horn encased in the box, waiting in the middle of the ballroom; it seemed to be calling out to her, begging her to come and take it. Make it hers and she would; Ginny thought with a smile.

The second thing she noticed was all the Aurors on duty. There were a good two and a half dozen of them stationed around the room; she also thought she recognized a few dressed formally, undercover. She sighed.

They must know that something was going to happen here at the ball; it made her wonder how they had figured it out but she caught sight of Harry Potter, walking alongside the American Auror, Jack Times through the crowd, searching. She almost groaned aloud. She did roll her eyes as she made her way to the drinks table. At the drinks table, she caught sight of Professor McGonagall speaking to Professor Sprout, Lee Jordan whispering into Angelina Johnson's ear as she stared at Ginny's brother, George, pouring himself a drink.

Ginny almost kicked herself; she'd completely forgotten all about her family! Of course, they'd be here, on this bloody special day. A family that had helped support the then growing and now flourished Ministry that had completely destroyed her. Her eyes narrowed and turned away from the table, she didn't need a drink now. She was thoroughly fuming right about now and decided to find herself a table to sit where she didn't have to worry about running into her family or some old friends.

"Where's Ginny?" She heard Hannah ask Neville as she slid behind them and disappeared into a table that was at the edge of the room and where she could watch peacefully, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

* * *

She was here.

Harry could see her vivid, flaming red hair within the crowd and standing out against her black gown. She was heartbreakingly beautiful; it hurt, really it did. He had spotted Ginny as she entered the ballroom behind Neville and Hannah and a head of Luna and Rolf. She had then gone to the drinks tables and after looking around for a second, she had disappeared from his sight.

Harry shook his head; he had more important things to worry about than Ginny Weasley and all her beauty. He took a deep breath as he caught sight of Sharp and Ron making their rounds.

He was ready for Fyrefox. Let him try to steal right in front of him; just, let him try. Harry would get him and would make the Wizarding world just a bit safer and in peace. He knew that Fyrefox wasn't a real danger; he didn't kill people but what if he accidentally did? His tricks could turn lethal; Harry had to prevent that and then the thief would spend a few years in Azkaban to be released one day into the world, once again. And stay out of trouble.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked.

Harry looked over at him and shrugged, "the future, I suppose." Harry answered cryptically.

"Of course," Jack rolled his eyes. "You, British folks, are an interest sort." He snorted.

Harry rolled his eyes, "don't start that again, we're a great bloody lot."

Jack laughed as he looked around the ballroom. His eyes set on the President and the Minister sitting at the high table, were everyone could see them. They were talking while Aurors surrounded them; occasionally, a wizard or witch would venture towards the high table to talk to them but mostly it was just the two of them.

"Yes, yes, whatever you say, Potter." Jack teased.

Harry shook his head, a grin on his lips as they walked around the room. People would sometimes would come up to them, say hello to Harry and introduce themselves to Jack; though, some were too intimidated to do such things, mostly, they watched them travel through the crowds.

"Harry! How are you, mate?" Harry looked over to see Neville, Hannah's hand in the crook of his arm. They were both smiling at him.

"Good evening, Neville. Hannah, you look magnificent." He took her hand and kissed the back of her hand. "I'd like to introduce you to Jack Times, Head Auror for the President."

"Hello, good evening." Jack nodded with a smile on his lips.

"How are you enjoying Great Britain?" Neville asked.

"It's been an interesting trip so far, that's for sure." Jack smiled. "But I bet it's going to get even more exciting." He added.

"You don't say," Neville answered in curiosity.

"Jack…" Harry started to which the American chuckled.

"Alright, alright, alright," he winked playfully, "I guess I should go make my round with the President. Williams will complain if I don't appear once or twice. He'll think I ran off with some tail." He rolled his eyes, "stupid, idiot boss man." He grumbled.

Harry laughed as he watched Jack walk through the crowds, women turning to watch him as he passed, their eyes lingering.

"How have you been, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Busy with work, mostly." He sighed, "I haven't had a chance to really breathe."

"Sounds stressful," Hannah said in her soft voice. "Have you been eating and sleeping, Harry?" She asked.

"Eating, yes but sleeping…" he shrugged, "not so much."

"Harry, that's terrible," she frowned and shook her head slightly.

Harry smiled sadly in response and when he looked at Neville, he noticed that the man was looking around the ballroom as if he was searching for someone.

"Problem, Neville?" He asked.

"What…? Oh, no. I was just looking for… someone." He said after looking at him for a moment.

Harry had an idea who Neville was looking for and just like that, Ginny Weasley was in the front of all other thoughts. Her luscious red hair, her porcelain skin, her bright brown eyes, her pink tempting lips, her heart stopping curves –

"Harry?" Neville asked pulling him out of his thoughts.

He shook his head slightly to clear his mind but it was pointless as he remembered her in that breathtaking black strapless gown. His throat went dry at the image. He took a deep breath to slow his rapidly beating heart.

"Last I saw her she was slipping into the dark corner," Harry indicated to the back table. "Now, I must be off to make my rounds." He said as slipped from the couple and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Neville watched Harry go and sighed loudly. He hadn't meant to be so noticeable with his search for Ginny so that when Harry asked him, he answered honestly. He really hadn't meant to. Poor Harry, he thought as he remembered the look on his face. It was filled with such longing and need that Neville felt he needed to pull his mate out of his troubling thoughts.

"Bollocks…" he muttered lightly.

"Don't worry, Neville. He'll be okay." Hannah reassured him.

"I hadn't meant to bring up Ginny." He frowned, "I know that Harry doesn't like to talk about it. Not many know how deeply he was hurt after their break up. The first _and _second time, he was devastated but he felt that he had an obligation to the people who were hurting and in doing so… he hurt her and himself."

"Poor Harry," Hannah said sadly, "poor Ginny. All of this hurt for no reason. They both love each other."

"Love? I wouldn't say that about Ginny." Neville snorted as he looked into the shadow where Harry had pointed to earlier and sure enough, the redhead was sitting at the table watching, always watching carefully.

"Hate and love, there is such a thin line between the two, Neville." Hannah pointed out.

Neville looked away from Ginny to Hannah who was watching him knowingly. He smiled at her expression.

"How do you know this?" He asked.

"Woman's intuition," she returned his smile with one of her own.

"Blimey woman," he winked playfully as he pulled her into her arms and lightly brushed his lips against her. "Dance with me," he whispered against her lips as music filled the ballroom.

"I'd love to," Hannah whispered back.

* * *

The night was drawing to an end, Harry realized as he stood behind the Minister and the President at the head table, Jack beside him, his eyes always watching. Harry wanted to scream in annoyance at the fact that Fyrefox hadn't showed. He had been so certain that the damn man would try to steal the artifact tonight. It was his best chance but nothing. He had waited all night and the man didn't even have the decency to appear. It greatly angered him.

"Stop fidgeting, dammit. You're making me nervous, Potter." Jack muttered.

"I can't help it." He frowned. "I expected him to come."

"Maybe you're over thinking it. Weasley and Sharp were right." Jack shrugged.

"No," he shook his head.

"Maybe he had other plans…?" Jack wondered out loud.

"Shhh," the President elbowed Jack in the ribs. The man groaned at the pain. "I'm trying to have a conversation and all you're doing is blabbering in my ear." The President hissed.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing or even smiling.

"You damn dictator," Jack growled, "I'll get you for that."

"Yeah, yeah," the President waved him away.

"Aren't you lucky that your boss doesn't physically abuse you, Potter." Jack glared at the man.

Harry chuckled under his breath.

"Jack," the President hissed.

"Alright already!" Jack hissed in response.

Seeing such a playful relationship between the President and the Head Auror was humorous. When Harry was promoted, he knew that he would be close with Kingsley but he didn't think they'd ever have _that _kind of relationship. Harry crossed his arms, his wand in wait as he watched the crowds.

Suddenly the room went dark, not a light in sight. Screams filled the room as Harry's heart skipped a beat. This was it! Fyrefox was finally showing himself!

The room instantly filled with small balls of light as the magical folks muttered "lumos!" throughout the room.

"Kingsley, it is starting," Harry leaned forward and whispered in the Minister's ear.

The Minister nodded as he got to his feet. "Robards, we must take out leave now. Matthew, it's time to call it a night. It seems as if we're to have trouble now."

"It seems so," the President nodded in response. They got to their feet and proceeded to follow Robards. "Come along, Jack."

Jack looked at Harry and looked back at the President, "I think I'll stay he for a bit longer. I feel as if can be of help here."

The President looked at him and sighed, "do as you please, Jack. You always do." He rolled his eyes as he turned his back.

"Of course, Mr. President," Jack smiled as he looked at Harry. "Now what?"

As the words left his mouth, fireworks exploded in the room. Harry jumped as they shot loudly in the ballroom, blinding lights of reds, greens, blues, yellows, purples and so many other colors. It was beautiful and if Harry hadn't been as worried because he knew Fyrefox was being this, he'd have enjoyed it.

"Ooohs" and "aaahs" filled the room as the crowds took in the firework show. They thought it was all part of the ball and were watching it comfortably.

"Let me guess, this isn't approved." Jack said as he followed Harry from the head table.

"We must get to the Golden Unicorn Horn, immediately!" Harry yelled over the cheers.

"I'm right behind you!" Jack called back as Sharp and Ron caught up with them.

"Fyrefox?" Ron asked.

"The Golden Unicorn Horn!" Harry yelled in answer and the four rushed as best they could through the crowd as they applauded.

It seemed as if the Grand Finale was in full swing; colorful blasts filled the air as Harry fought to reach the artifact. It was no use. The public was so filled with excitement; they were making it impossible for the Aurors to get to their needed destination. Harry fought them as much as he could.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted.

"Hey, watch it!" A wizard said in response.

"Under Wizard's law, you must get out of the –" Harry was saying when the wizard tripped in front of him and he got a good eyeful of the box where the Golden Unicorn Horn was. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the black smoke engulf the box. It seemed as if every person in the room froze, every sound was silenced as the thick smoke covered the box, the golden horn slowly disappearing and it was such a foreboding visual that Harry just watched speechlessly.

Suddenly, the thick smoke started to clear, the fireworks stopped and applause filled the ballroom. The witches and wizards were greatly impressed by the display but when the smoke completely cleared, the room filled with screams as the artifact box stood entirely empty. Gasps and cries; Harry just watched in shock as when the smoke disintegrated into nothing, he caught sight of luscious, flaming red locks and a strapless black gown apparate, the Golden Unicorn Horn held tightly in her thieving grasp.

**Finally! You've found out what the artifact is and Harry has found out who Fyrefox is! Uh oh! What's going to happen now?**

**Hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Emmalee 3**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**:

_"Which do you think is better: a brother or a sister?" Harry asked Ginny as they lay on a blanket behind Hagrid's hut one starry night; the Forbidden Forest a few feet away from them. The two were facing each other and Harry had his arm possessively across her hips. She was leaning on her elbow and her fiery red hair sprawled beneath her on the gold blanket; her brown eyes sparkling as they watched him._

_"Well, since I only have about half a dozen brothers, I reckon a sister would be better." She answered as she reached for him and ran her fingers across his jaw line._

_"You have way too many brothers," he nodded solemnly. _

_"You're telling me!" She pushed him softly and he pulled her closer to him, kissing her lips softly. _

_Harry closed his eyes as he felt her run her fingers through his hair and sighed. Their time together was so precious to him though it was hard to find. She was always busy with exams and he as well, also, his "special" meetings with Dumbledore made it harder. _

_Luckily, today was one of those rare days. They were both free and when it had gotten dark enough, they had snuck downstairs after Ron and Hermione had gone to sleep, thrown the invisibility cloak over themselves and escaped the castle; disappearing behind Hagrid's hut where watchful eyes could not see. It was like their own heaven away from everyone. Harry enjoyed it immensely. Well, he enjoyed anytime he could have with her; this being the best as they were hidden away and no one would be looking for them._

_"Which do you think, Harry?" Ginny asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts, her fingers still running through his hair._

_He sighed as he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Better between a brother or a sister?" He asked and when she nodded, he thought hard. "I don't know. I figure Ron and Hermione are like my siblings… so, really, I don't know." He shrugged._

_Ginny chuckled, "you know, if Ron's your brother than that means I'm –" she was saying when Harry kissed her roughly._

_"You are _not _my sister," he growled playfully._

_Ginny laughed hard, "good." She said than pulled him into another amazing kiss. Harry's mind was gone as her tongue slid against his. He was lost, lost in the sensation of the kiss, in the sensation of Ginevra Molly Weasley._

_A few minutes later, they pulled apart, huge smiles on their lips, dark desire in their eyes. Harry cleared his throat as he reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling it to his lips and softly kissing her palm._

_Ginny sighed dreamily._

_"If you could be an animagus, what would you be?" He asked, continuing the game they had been playing for a few hours. _

_Ginny looked at him and thought hard. "An animagus… hmm… I guess I'd be a fox. A red fox, you know." She pointed to her hair._

_"A fox, I could see that." Harry nodded._

_"Yeah, they're such sly, sneaky, beautiful creatures. I always loved them." She told him. She suddenly sat up and looked around then back at him. "I'm going to show you something but you can't tell anyone, especially Ron. He'd throw a row and then… well, mum would find out and I'd be grounded until next year."_

_Harry nodded as he sat up as well._

_She licked her lips nervously and started to lift up her shirt._

_Harry's heart immediately jumped to his throat. Ginny was taking off her clothes! His mind was reeling. He quickly shut his eyes, covering them with his hand._

_"Ginny! What are you doing?" He asked nervously._

_Ginny chuckled, "it's okay, Harry. Look. I promise, I won't traumatize your innocent eyes." She teased._

_He laughed at that, slowly removed his hand and his heart just about jumped out of his chest as he stared at Ginny's porcelain skin. She had removed her t-shirt and was sitting in front of him in a black sports bra. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself then he saw what she wanted him to see. Across her right ribs was a huge red fox with brown eyes, watching him. The fox's body slid down her ribs and its tail wrapped around her waist, disappeared behind her back and came around the left side of her waist. It was a beautiful piece of work and completely muggle. The tattoo didn't move._

_"Wow," was all he could say._

_Ginny smiled, "you like it?"_

_He nodded, "it's beautiful." He said as he leaned forward and brushed his fingertips across her ribs, tracing the fox's dark eyes. _

_She inhaled deeply as his fingers touched her skin and suddenly she was on his lap, kissing his lips roughly and he was kissing her and sweet Merlin, he was on fire. This was unlike any kiss they'd ever had. He needed her so much. He rolled her onto the blanket and positioned himself on top her and devoured her. Touching and tasting her, she was beyond divine to him, she was everything; _his_ Ginny._

_He pulled away slightly and asked, "when did you get it?"_

_"This summer before you came to the Burrow; mum and dad were out and I went with Fred and George." She answered as she brushed her lips against his neck. He shivered at the contact._

_"With your hair against it… it looks like it's on fire." He whispered absent-mindedly as he ran his fingers over the fox's face._

_"The fox is on fire…hmm… I like it." She answered._

_"Fyrefox…" he mumbled before she pulled him into another kiss and he was lost._

* * *

Fyrefox!

Why hadn't he realized it before? It was so clear now. The memory floated back from the little box where he kept his memories of Ginny and his time together… or where he _tried _to keep them.

Ginny was Fyrefox.

It was so painfully obvious now. It was her and that night where _he _had given her that nickname. It was pretty ironic that she would thieve in the name he had given her; trying to destroy the institution that he'd worked so hard to repair, in the name he'd given her.

Merlin, she must hate him something fierce.

He groaned as she disappeared and the fearful, angry screams filled the ballroom all around him. He looked around as witches and wizards disapparated and others rushed to find loved ones. He caught sight of Jack rushing through the crowd to the empty box where the Golden Unicorn Horn had once been; empty, completely empty like his office will be when word gets out about the artifact being stolen right under his bloody nose.

Harry cursed as he looked away from the empty box and saw Sharp and Ron rushing towards him. They were coming and it suddenly, truly, hit him.

Ginny Weasley had stolen the object. If he caught her… she'd go to Azkaban. It would destroy her; not only her, the Weasley family too.

He needed to get to her. He needed to make her see sense. He needed her to give it back to him.

With that thought, Harry disapparated on the spot without so much as a word to Sharp and Ron as they caught up to him.

He was in Diagon Alley, following Ginny Weasley gliding down the street in her breathtaking strapless black gown. She was strolling, not a care in the world and he could see the Golden Unicorn Horn in her arms; she wasn't even attempting to hide the artifact. Not that she truly had any reason to hide it now; Diagon Alley was empty. He continued to follow her as she turned a corner; he waited a second and turned it as well. At first, he couldn't find her until he caught the train of her gown turning another corner and he rushed to follow. As he turned the corner, he wished he hadn't as he came in contact with the tip of her wand.

"Harry Potter, please explain to me why you are following me?" Ginny asked her voice calm as if she was having a simple, pointless conversation with a friend.

He took a deep breath and stepped back, she didn't lower her wand.

"I asked you a question." She ordered when he didn't answer.

"I'll need the artifact back now, Ginny." He told her.

"No," she shook her head and held the offering close to her chest. "It's mine now."

"No," he said slowly as if explaining it to a child. Ginny's eyes narrowed at his tone. "It belongs to the Ministry. Give it to me."

"I told you already, it's mine now." She glared.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked suddenly.

"I saw you before you disapparated." He opened his eyes and answered honestly, "I knew the name _Fyrefox _was familiar for some reason. Lovely that you use it to ruin everything I've done."

She shrugged, "I found it fitting, don't you think?"

He shook his head sadly. "Ginny, why?"

"Why not, Harry?" She shot back.

"Just…" he held his hand out. "Just give it back to me and no one will have to know a thing. I won't tell a soul, I swear it."

"Why should I believe you? Or even trust you?" She asked him then shook her head. "No, absolutely not, it's mine."

"Fine, that's alright." He crossed his arms as stared into her bright brown eyes. He had to force himself to take deep breaths at the look in her eyes. They were filled with fury, uncontrollable fury.

She watched him as she ascertained the true meaning of his previous sentence.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "The only thing though, if you'd like to keep this artifact which is _not _rightfully yours, I'll be forced to arrest you and you'll stand trail which will most definitely result in you being thrown in Azkaban. Is that what you want, Ginny?" He asked her, egging on her infamous temper. Maybe he'll be able to get it that way.

For a second, her eyes watched him seriously and then she laughed; her fiery hair thrown back as her entire body was engulfed in the laughter. The thing he always loved about Ginny was that she laughed with her entire being; her hair, her eyes, her entire body. It was a hefty thing to experience and he felt something inside of him stir as he watched her laugh; something that he'd buried many years ago.

"Is that right?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Harry simply nodded; he couldn't trust himself to speak to her right now. She was setting his feelings out of control.

Ginny brushed back her hair and smiled; such a brilliant smile that it took his breath away. He was a goner, just like those days long ago when he was involved with her. His mind was reeling and he had to force himself to concentrate.

"Well, if that's so, Mr. Harry Potter, go right ahead. Take me in. Do you have to handcuff me?" She asked teasingly.

Harry felt himself blush slightly at her words causing him to hesitate. If he took her in, Merlin, she'd be in loads of trouble. He couldn't let her rot away in Azkaban. Ginny… it seemed as if she'd gone astray, walked away from the path of right and wrong but he knew that she was harmless. She didn't belong in Azkaban where he was certain she'd be thrown into. No… he couldn't allow that.

As Harry's thoughts swirled in his mind, he heard Ginny sigh and before he could do anything, she whispered "stupefy!"; the spell hit him square in the chest and as consciousness seemed to escape him, he caught sight of a small frown on her beautiful lips but then it was gone, covered up by the darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

"Harry?" A voice called to him but he couldn't respond.

"Is that him? What's he doing here?" Another asked.

"He looks like he's sleeping. Harry, wake up!" The first voice shook him. Harry cursed internally as he wondered which of them was stupider. He _couldn't _respond to them!

"Ron, there's no reason to yell at him. He's been stupefied. See, there's a note." Hermione explained. "_Ennervate_!"

Suddenly he could move again; angrily, he got to his feet and brushed dirt from his robes. He was going to kill her! How dare she stun him! He was trying to save her from spending time in Azkaban; he thought angrily. He then looked at Hermione as she was staring at the note.

"How long have you been here and what the hell happened?" Ron asked. "You disappeared earlier! The offering was stolen! Fyrefox got it." He grumbled in frustration.

Harry looked between Ron and Hermione and frowned.

"What's that?" He asked Hermione instead of answering Ron.

"I don't know. It just says you had been stunned." She showed him. The writing was inconspicuous and there was no name. He thought as much. Ginny wouldn't give herself away.

"Well, come inside and tell us about it." Hermione said suddenly, unlocking the door and ushering the two of them inside.

The newest Weasley couple's home was a mixture of the magical and muggle world. Appliances were moving magically throughout the house, a magical clock like in the Burrow hung on the wall in the kitchen, a muggle flat screen television sat on a stand in the living room and a muggle telephone, mostly for Hermione's parents, was on the table by the couches. And that was where he sat, on the couches, as he waited for Hermione and Ron to settle onto the other.

"Will you please explain -" Ron started but Hermione cut him off.

"Would you like some Firewhiskey, Harry?" She asked to which he nodded. She summoned a glass and the bottle. She poured him a cup and handed it over. Harry chugged it down and held out the glass for another so she refilled it. This one he took a slow sip then leaned back against the couch, sighing deeply.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked before Ron could start bombarding him with questions.

Harry took another sip and looked down at the liquid in his cup. He didn't know what to say. He was still furious at Ginny, even more so that she bloody stunned him while he was trying to figure out a logical solution for this mad situation. He didn't want to arrest her. She was just a witch who didn't know wrong from right any longer; he thought then shook his head when a stray thought reminded him that she used to be _his_ witch. That was a long time ago.

"What happened?" Ron asked when Harry didn't say anything. "You were right, for one. Fyrefox did come and he stole the Golden Unicorn Horn. What do we do now? Do you think the Americans are going to leave?"

Harry groaned. He had no idea what to do now. He couldn't just turn Ginny in. Yes, she deserved it; she was a thief but... he just couldn't do it.

"I hope the Americans don't leave." He answered honestly as he looked at the fireplace and caught sight of a picture of the Weasley family before the war where all nine members were present but Ginny's smile was the only thing that drew his attention. She was so carefree in this picture; so blissfully happy. Merlin, had things changed for the young witch. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Where did you go?" Hermione asked. "How did you end up stunned on our doorstep? Explain that to us." Her arms crossed as she watched him, her dark eyes intense.

"I thought I caught sight of Fyrefox but it was a trap. As I turned the corner, I was stunned from behind." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"How did you end up on our doorstep then?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged again. Truthfully, he didn't know why Ginny had dropped him off at Hermione and Ron's home. He was surprise she hadn't just left him in the streets of Diagon Alley or sent him on his way to the Ministry, stunned. He wondered what it was all about. He was so utterly confused.

"Did you see who it was?" Hermione asked.

He shook his head. He couldn't tell them it was Ginny. No, if they didn't know which it seemed they didn't, then he wouldn't say a thing. No, he wouldn't tell anyone. He'd get the offering back without anyone finding out it was Ginny. "No," he finally said.

Both Ron and Hermione watched him; they had been best friends for too long to know that he wasn't telling them something but they let him keep his secrets. Harry was all about secrets.

Getting to his feet, he chugged the remainder of his Firewhiskey and handed the cup to Hermione. "I've got to get back to the office and face what's waiting for me." He sighed. "Maybe they'll fire me."

"No!" Hermione got to her feet, appalled at the very thought.

"They wouldn't, mate." Ron shook his head. "You're our best Auror. No one is perfect. You'll get Fyrefox next time." He assured him.

Harry shook his head. He was starting to feel like he'd never catch Ginny.

"I'll see you later." He said as he left the house and then apparated to the Ministry.

* * *

Ginny's chin lay on her folded arms on the dining room table as she stared at the Golden Unicorn Horn sitting innocently at the center of the table. She didn't know what to do with it. She couldn't exactly leave it there on the table for everyone to see if they came into her home.

This complicated things. She hadn't really thought too much about what she would do once she had it; she had been so consumed with the idea of stealing the object that she hadn't thought about after. She frowned.

Ginny was still completely ecstatic about stealing the offering. It had gone perfectly. The lights had gone off and before anyone could panic, the fireworks had gone off. The people had thought it was part of the ball and that was even better than she thought. Actually, the plan had gone better than she thought it would. Well, except for Harry bloody Potter; she thought angrily.

Leave it to him to almost ruin everything. She'd noticed he was following her the second she had appeared in Diagon Alley. She hadn't wanted to apparate to her flat in case someone had seen her but blimey, did it have to be him of all people? The Ministry's loyal dog? She growled low in her throat as she leaned back in her chair and continued to stare at the object.

It was so beautiful and now it was all hers; she thought with a smile. She reached for it and gently ran her fingers over the gold.

"It's all mine. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful," she whispered as she stared at it.

Unfortunately, Harry knew who she was now and if she wanted to keep the object, she would have to hide it. But why not hide it in plain sight? She wondered. She pulled out her wand and transfigured the Golden Unicorn Horn into a beautiful golden vase. She smiled as she picked it up in her hands. It still had the same texture; just the object was shaped differently.

"Perfect," she whispered as she placed it back down on her dining room table.

Now, if Harry brought the Ministry to her door, they'd never be able to find it; she thought with a smile. All she needed now was a bouquet of flowers.

A sudden tapping at the window drew her attention. Ginny opened it and an eagle-owl flew into her flat, dropping a parchment on the table then flew away. She leaned back as she opened the letter.

_Ms. Weasley, _

_Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible._

_~ D._

Ginny sighed. Of course it was from Draco. She wondered what he wanted. She knew that the Black Locket was in the Parkinson's family hands now but she was going to start searching for a way to get it into her hands instead. With that thought, she disappeared into her room to change so she could meet Draco Malfoy now.

Ten minutes later, Ginny strolled into the Leaky Cauldron. She waved hello to Hannah as she walked through the tables towards Draco who was seated alone in a booth in the back of the restaurant.

"Ginny," he nodded as she slid into the other end of the booth.

"Good evening, Draco." She said as she called Hannah over.

"Hullo, Ginny! What can I get you?" Hannah asked.

"I'll take a Butterbeer, Draco?" Ginny looked over at him.

"The same," he muttered.

"Coming right up," Hannah turned to go but stopped, "oh, Ginny. Neville and I were looking for you earlier at the ball. What happened?"

"I had other matters to attend to so I left earlier. Sorry I didn't say anything to you. I hope you had a good time, though." Ginny smiled kindly at the other witch.

"It was lovely until the artifact that the President brought over was stolen! Can you believe that? I reckon that's rotten luck." Hannah shook her head. "Oh well, I've got to get back. Your Butterbeers will be brought over soon."

Ginny smiled as she watched Hannah disappear behind the counter.

"I don't suppose the reason you _left early _had something to do with the peace offering the President brought over, does it?" Draco asked, a smirk appearing on his oh-so-attractive lips.

Ginny glared at him.

"That is none of your concern. Anyway, why did you call me here, Draco?" She asked.

"How goes the search for my mother's locket?"

"It's going," she answered cryptically.

"Well, I saw that pug-nosed bitch, Pansy wearing my mother's locket around her skinny neck." He told her angrily.

"Yes, I'm aware the Parkinsons currently have your mother's locket." Ginny replied.

"When you have information pertaining to the assignment I've given to you, you _will _inform me. Do you understand? If you don't, I'll make certain you regret it." Draco hissed through clenched teeth.

Ginny's blood boiled at the threat. She immediately got to her feet prepared to leave when his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. She froze at the contact. She looked back at him, his silvery – gray eyes simmering with anger.

"Do you understand, Weasley?" He asked again.

"I won't be doing anything more for you, Malfoy." She shook off his grip. "It's over. Do _you _understand?" She glared, her brown eyes barely holding back her uncontrollable anger; her temper seething on the inside.

Draco inched back at the fury in her eyes and just watched her exit the Leaky Cauldron, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He took a deep breath when she was finally gone.

* * *

Harry had decided that before returning to the Ministry, he would get a Butterbeer or even a sandwich from the Leaky Cauldron. He wasn't exactly ready for the fireworks that would be exploding upon his arrival. He hadn't been joking when he had said they'd probably fire him. He'd failed on a major level. Of course, Ron hadn't taken him serious; Hermione, Harry reckoned she'd been appalled at the thought.

Harry sighed as he stepped through the door, the noise and scent of the restaurant instantly hitting him. For a second, the darkness took his eyes a second to adjust but when they did, he instantly regretted it as they set on a red haired beauty.

It seemed that his eyes zoomed in on the pale hand that grasped her wrist. Harry noticed that she turned towards the man that held her. She said a few words and though he couldn't hear them over the noise of the Leaky Cauldron, he knew for a fact that they were threatening words as she shook off the man's grip and Harry watched him flinch back as she turned and stormed through the entrance to Diagon Alley.

As Ginny disappeared, Harry's blood boiled as he caught sight of the man that had touched her. It was none other than Draco bloody Malfoy. And just like that, his common sense fled him.

Before he even realized it, Harry was walking towards the booth; pushing people out of his way as he made his way, only one thing on his mind: break Malfoy for laying his dirty, slimy hands on her.

As he came upon the booth, Malfoy looked up and rolled his eyes as he leaned back against his chair.

"What do you want, Potter?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"What are you doing with Ginny?" Harry asks instead of answering him.

"Had a little fight after our incredible shag, it's unfortunate but I'll get everything under control." Malfoy smirked.

Harry's hands shook and he could visualize himself strangling the git to within seconds of his bloody death; no one would miss him, anyway.

"Does that bother you, Scar-head?" Malfoy asked, one eyebrow raised in false shock.

"Don't make up lies about her." Harry growled.

"Why do you think she left the ball early?" Malfoy raised his eyebrows suggestively but Harry obviously knew _why _Ginny had left early. She'd been stealing the Golden Unicorn Horn.

"I said not to make up lies, ferret." Harry growled as he grabbed Malfoy collar and pulled him close, inches from his face, his emerald green eyes glaring into the git's silvery - gray eyes. "If you come near her again, there will be nothing left of you for the Aurors to throw in Azkaban."

"Is that a threat?" Malfoy's infamous smirk slipped on his lips.

Harry threw him back roughly, "a promise."

He glared at the pale git and turned on his heels. He wouldn't be going to the Ministry just yet. He had to make a quick stop before that.

* * *

The door slammed shut behind Ginny. She leaned back against it and took a deep breath. Her mind was reeling, her heart pounding quickly in her chest as she shook with anger. How dare Draco threaten her! How dare he say such things to her. Long ago, she promised herself that she would _never _allow someone to walk over her as if she was a doormat or an imbecile. She was her own person; dangerous, bad, raging with vengeance towards a government that took her dreams from her.

No one would tell her what to do. No one would ever dare do something of the sort and there he was, Draco Malfoy, thinking that he had the right to make her a slave to his anger and every whim. Well, screw him. She wouldn't do a damn thing for him. If he wanted the locket, well, he'd bloody well get it on his own. She would have no part in it any longer.

"Bloody wanker, rot in burning pits of Hell," she hissed angrily as she threw her bag across the room and it hit the wall with a loud _thump _and slid to the floor.

What gave a _man _the right to think that she would do a thing for him! She fumed as she stormed into her kitchen and pulled the Ogden's Firewhiskey bottle from the top of her refrigerator. She flicked off the top and took a deep sip, the Firewhiskey burning as it slid down her throat; she didn't even flinch, her anger easing the pain. She took another deep sip then took a deep breath.

She needed to get herself under control, she told herself as she left the kitchen, the bottle still in her hand. She ran her fingers through her hair as she felt her anger cooling. She took another deep breath then took a small sip. It stung but she shrugged away the pain.

Ginny made her way to the couch, totally planning to get plastered on her Firewhiskey when there was a knock on her door. Her hand immediately grabbed for her wand and her heart skipping a beat as she prepared for the Aurors to break down her door and begin a thorough search for the peace offering, apprehending her in the process but instead of the door breaking down, another knock came, harder than the previous.

Her eyes narrowed as she inched towards the door. The knock came again.

"For the love of Merlin, relax!" She hissed as she stood at the door and wondered who it was.

Whoever it was didn't alert her of their identity. Not many knew where she lived; her family included. Pretty much the only people who knew were Neville, Hannah, Luna and Rolf. She didn't really like people knowing where she lived. She lived in Westminster; fifteen, twenty minutes away from King's Cross station and by the Old Westminster Library. She was hidden away in a muggle flat and she had been positive that no one knew where. Any of the four people who actually knew where she lived, would have announced themselves.

Now, Ginny was worried.

She took a deep breath, calming herself and then without another thought to distract her, she threw open the door, wand ready in hand.

She didn't lower it when she saw who was standing at her doorstep; she glared at him, her anger once again building up dangerously quick within her.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"I can't believe you stunned me! I'm an Auror. I could arrest you just for that." He glared.

"How did you find out where I live?" She asked, ignoring what he had said, her wand still pointed at him.

"I have my ways." He shrugged mysteriously, "What were you doing with Malfoy?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. You work for the corrupt." Ginny nodded in undertanding.

He ignored what she said and asked again. "What are you doing with him?"

"It's none of your business." She lowered her wand and crossed her arms.

"Yes, it is my business." He told her.

"How so?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well," he glared at her, "not only are you a thief but he's always a person of interest."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "hasn't he exonerated himself?"

"Malfoy can never be trusted. He's a no-good-" Ginny cut him off.

"It's none of your bloody business what I am doing with Draco." She glared back at him.

"Draco, now is it?" He crossed his arms, "aren't you two chummy?"

"Merlin help me!" She growled, "It's nothing to you! How did you find out where I live? Go away." She turned her back.

"Stay away from him." Harry grabbed her elbow and Ginny froze at the contact.

She turned back to him and looked in his eyes so he wouldn't misunderstand her words.

"You have no say whatsoever who I keep company with." She told him.

"Whatever you say," was all he said.

Ginny took a deep breath to quench the sudden urge she had to murder this self-righteous, lying, horrible git. Azkaban would even be worth it.

"Give me the offering," Harry suddenly said, catching her by surprise.

Her eyes narrowed. "No, as I told you before, it's mine."

"I can't believe you stunned me!" He pulled her towards him.

Ginny pushed his chest but it was like trying to push a wall. She growled. "Are we back to this?" His mind was all over the place! Why didn't he just go away? She wanted to kick him in the shin. Hard.

"Why did you drop me off at Hermione's and Ron's?" He asked in confusion.

"Let go of me." She tried to get out of his hold but she couldn't. She growled low. "I'll stun you again."

"I'll deflect it. I'm prepared this time. You'll never catch me by surprise again." He informed her.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "As if," she snorted.

"Give it to me, Ginny. I won't turn you in." He tried and Ginny almost groaned out loud.

"Enough! It's mine!" She pushed him.

Harry swore under his breath and before Ginny knew it, his lips were on hers and all those feelings, the ones she kept locked away, came flooding back in her mind. His lips slammed against hers and even though she knew she should be fighting him, her hands, entirely of their own accord, wrapped around his forearms and pulled him closer.

She heard him growl deep in his throat as he pulled her body against his; his tongue brushed against her lips and she couldn't keep herself from opening herself up to his tongue and for some horrible, betraying moment, as his tongue caressed her own, it felt like coming home, being complete.

As he kissed her, Ginny was lost for a moment; lost in the feel of Harry and the memories. They held her hostage, kept her from being reasonable and for a brief second, she wondered if it really mattered as she felt one arm slide around her waist and the other, grasp her hair and push her lips harder against his.

He seemed to devour her soul through his kiss.

Then it suddenly came crashing down on her; reality. He left her for the Ministry, for the Wizarding World. He chose them over her; left her behind for the _greater _good. Saying they needed him. Deciding on his own that it was best for everyone. Breaking not only her dreams, but her heart; completely destroying her and leaving nothing in its wake but fury, hate, vengeance.

She was bad and he'd created her to be such.

After, he left her and she disappeared into the nothingness, into the gray, between the lines of black and white, becoming what she was now; a wicked witch hell-bent on destruction for her creator and that which he so adamantly protected and healed to its current position.

And with that, fury and hurt filling her, Ginny pushed him away. Shocked, Harry stumbled back, his eyes widening as he watched her. And she couldn't help but wonder what she must look like; her lips swollen from his kiss, eyes dark with anger, her magic sizzling around her. She must be a frightening sight.

"Ginny –" he started to say but she was having none of it.

"Stay away." She hissed through clenched teeth and slammed the door shut on his surprised face.

She wouldn't allow herself to feel anything; she pushed them down before they overwhelmed her. As she leaned back against the door, she could hear Harry walk away. She lifted a shaky hand to her lips and closed her eyes. She couldn't… she couldn't allow herself to think, to remember, to wonder. She wouldn't allow it.

"I won't…" she whispered to herself as she slid to the floor.

**Harry learns the truth and now a kiss? Hmmm... interesting ;) And Draco... grrrr! How dare he get upset with her? Oh well!**

**Thank you for reading and let me know what you think.**

**Emmalee 3**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**:

He kissed her.

He'd been so angry with her; why couldn't she just do what he said, for Merlin's sake! He was trying to help her. Trying to keep her from spending _any _time in Azkaban but the woman was stubborn. The most stubborn woman he had ever known and then he couldn't help himself. She was so vehemently fighting him, using her tongue, her words like a sword to thrash him down and he wanted to show her that he could do it too… but with his lips and as the thought came to mind, he'd done it. Done it without thinking and now, sweet Merlin, he was doomed.

He enjoyed it; too much it seemed.

Harry walked into the Ministry, traveling through the atrium, into the elevators and up to the Auror Headquarters on autopilot. His mind was elsewhere; trapped in remembrance of the kiss, her sweet, sweet lips capturing him.

He was certain a few people said hello to him, called to him, said a few words to him but he didn't respond. He was trapped in his thoughts. He pushed open the doors to Headquarters and suddenly he was bombarded by the other Aurors.

"Did you catch him, Potter?" Jenson Pitters asked.

He was obviously stupid; did it look like he had? Harry wondered to himself.

"Did Fyrefox catch and torture you?" Mitchell Cotton wondered.

Harry glared at the man.

"Where have you been?" James Jefferson asked next.

None of your business, Harry thought as he crossed his arms as he looked at the Auror.

"Don't suppose you have the target or the artifact in your possession?" Jorge Cortez asked from beside him.

Harry sighed, he wanted to get by these people and bury himself in his work before Robards called him to his office.

"Potter, my office now," a voice called from outside the group.

Harry groaned. "Speak of the Devil…" he said under his breath.

"What was that, mate?" Harry looked up to see Sharp leaning against the doorframe behind him.

"Nothing," Harry muttered as he passed the group to see Robards standing by his office, his arms crossed and a blank expression on his face. That immediately set off all the alarms in his mind. It seemed that the Head Auror was using his blank expression to hide what he _really _was feeling.

Bloody hell, he was screwed.

Before Harry got to the door, Robards turned and disappeared into the office. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning again. As he entered, Robards called out, "close the door behind you."

Harry nodded, closing the door and looked up to see Robards standing behind Kingsley who sat in his desk chair. President Williams was seated in the chair in front of the desk and Jack stood behind him, arms crossed and ever alert, watching him as the door closed behind Harry.

Well, at least they wouldn't completely destroy him and his career in front of the President, right?

"How could you let this happen?" Robards jumped right in.

Guess not, Harry thought as he sighed.

"Have a seat, Harry." Kingsley said as he took in Harry's tired expression.

Harry did just that, sliding into the empty seat beside the President.

"Tell us what happened after you disappeared." Kingsley said before Robards could jump in on him again. "We received reports from both Sharp and Weasley that you apparated right after the fireworks ended and the smoke disappeared."

Harry nodded, "yes sir. Well, I caught sight of what could be Fyrefox, with the Golden Unicorn Horn within their grasp. So, I tried to follow them the best I could."

Kingsley nodded, "where did you go?"

"I followed Fyrefox to Diagon Alley. I was on their trial until I turned a corner and was stunned." He answered. He still couldn't bring himself to turn Ginny in. She was misguided. He'd help her. Azkaban wasn't the place for her. And now, after that kiss, Harry knew exactly where her place was. He just couldn't allow himself to really think about it. She wouldn't let it happen anyway. He sighed.

"Did you catch a glimpse of Fyrefox?" Robards asked.

"Unfortunately, no," he shook his head and knew he had to act a bit more upset than this. They wouldn't buy it. Everyone knew he was hell-bent on catching the thief.

He banged his fist against Robards desk, surprising the others, aside from Jack, who didn't even seem to flinch at the contact.

"Potter, get a hold of yourself!" Robards told him.

"I let Fyrefox slip right through my fingers!" He growled. "This is unbelievable! Damn, that bloody thief!"

"It's okay, Harry." Kingsley assured him. "Sometimes things don't go according to plan. You know that better than others. You'll get him next time."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and felt bad for lying to them, especially Kingsley. They'd been friends for a long time. He took another breath and nodded. "Next time," he agreed.

"Don't worry so much, Potter." The President finally spoke.

"But… isn't the Golden Unicorn Horn important to you?" Kingsley asked in surprise.

"Well, yes, it is." He chuckled, "It's important to me but stuff like this happens. The Golden Unicorn Horn was just a _sign _of the alliance between us. Like a prop, I guess you could say." He admitted.

The three men watched the President in surprise. Jack simply shook his head.

"You're not mad?" Robards asked curiously.

"Mad? Hell no," he shrugged and looked at Harry, "just catch this bastard and get the offering back for the people. It's more for their benefit then for ours, you know that." Harry nodded, "Jack will help you."

"I will?" Jack asked from behind him.

"You will." President Williams nodded and shot a look at the man.

"I will help you." Jack sighed and Harry had to try hard to keep from smiling at the man's expression.

"And we'll stay until everything is settled." The President reached over and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Everything will work out, you'll see."

Harry nodded again, flabbergasted. He knew Ginny had stolen the offering to upset the President who would then cut ties with the Ministry. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked. The President was a much better person than she'd thought of him. He wasn't materialistic; Harry was certain Ginny had been betting the man would be.

He grinned slightly.

"Now, get out of here and find that thief." Robards ordered and Harry got to his feet.

"Yes sir," Harry nodded and made his way to the door.

"I'll get the other Aurors as protection for the President and I'll be at your office in fifteen minutes. Get those men who were with us earlier… Weasley and Sharp, if I remember correctly and any others who you think would be helpful." Jack said as the President got to his feet.

"See you then," Harry said as he left the office, his minding trying to figure out how he would accomplish catching Fyrefox without getting Ginny in trouble. It was impossible. Now, they both were in trouble.

* * *

He kissed her.

Dammit, she had kissed him back. What the hell was wrong with her? Ginny growled as she lay in bed, the early morning sunlight seeping through the blinds to awake her for the day. All night she had tossed and turned, unable to sleep well because whenever she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep, she'd dream about the bloody kiss.

After Harry had left, she'd sat on the floor, leaning against her door for the better half of the night drinking her refilling bottle of Firewhiskey. She finally had gotten up and shuffled in the dark to her bed at about three in the morning. She'd gotten six, seven hours of sleep but it had been a fretful one.

Ginny sighed as she sat up in bed and stopped herself, her arm dropping to the bed. Since the damn kiss, she unconsciously touched her lips as if wondering if Harry's kiss had scarred her, left some mark for the entire world to see. She threw the covers off her as she shook her head at the absurdity of her thoughts. Maybe a hot shower would scramble her thoughts or melt away her memories of the feel of his lips against hers, his tongue caressing hers, his body touching –

"Grrrr, shower, shower, shower!" Ginny growled as she jumped out of bed and rushed into her bathroom, turning the water on to boiling. Steam immediately began to fill the bathroom and Ginny smiled as she began to undress. As she pulled off her shirt, her reflection caught her attention. She sighed as her eyes sought out her lips.

She wondered if they were still swollen… or if that was just her imagination. Her hair was messy from her sleep, her cheeks rosy from the memories and the steam, her eyes dark with passion.

Ginny couldn't help it. Even though she hated the git something fierce, she still felt that passion, that attraction, that desire to be with him.

"Bloody hell," she cursed as she tore off the remainder of her clothes and jumped into the shower without heeding the temperature.

It burned her but she clenched her teeth, closed her eyes and stepped under the showerhead. As she showered, she emptied her mind, to the best of her ability and simply forced herself to enjoy her shower and think of nothing else. It worked, for the better part.

Finally, she finished, sliding out of the shower and dried herself, spelling her hair dry. She braided it as she walked into her bedroom and into her closet. She pulled on a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt. She sat on her bed and put on pair of red snitch socks. She stared at them for a second and sighed. She could really use a pickup game of Quidditch. She hadn't played in awhile and would help relieve her of all this pent up sexual frustration.

Getting to her feet, Ginny made her way to the kitchen where she passed the dining room table and the golden vase sitting in the middle with a red bouquet of roses in it.

She frowned. She needed another job. Now that she dropped the locket assignment, she should head to Knockturn Alley and have a nice chat with Abram Vander about possible jobs. Since it seemed she had enough time to think about Harry Potter and the _un_wanted kiss, a new job would be exactly what she needed. Sighing, she decided a nice cup of coffee would be in order before she made her way to the dark parts of the unknown.

A knock came to the door and her wand was instantly in her hand. The Ministry had arrived. Harry had told them. She was ready. She'd get away somehow, she told herself as she inched towards the window, ready to jump out and apparate before she hit the floor. She had to do something. Azkaban was not somewhere she was planning on living.

"It's me, Ginny." A voice called and she stopped, turning towards the door with a frown on her face.

"How the hell is everyone finding out where I live?" She growled to herself as she got to the door and threw it open, her wand at the ready.

She was angry, no… she was livid.

"Good morning," Draco said with a smile on his face and two cups of coffee in his hands.

"What are you doing here and how did you know where I live?" She asked with a glare on her face.

"Maybe, you'd like some coffee first?" He asked and Ginny grabbed one, taking a sip. It was perfect. She glared at him again. How did he know how she took her coffee?

"Can I come in?" Draco asked with a smile.

"No." She took another sip. "What do you want?" She asked, dropping the question about how everyone was finding her home. There must be some bloody sign in the sky pointing her out for the world to see.

"I can't come in?" He asked instead.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She sighed.

"I reckon here is better than nowhere." He said under his breath and sighed.

Ginny watched him; he seemed annoyed as he ran his fingers through his hair, sending it out in odd angles. She bit her lip to keep from smiling at his appearance and to keep herself from inviting him in.

"What do you –" she tried again but he cut her off.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night. I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to threaten you."

She stared in shock at him; certain her mouth was open in surprise.

"You don't need to look so shocked." He hissed.

"You apologized. That has to be a first." She continued to stare at him.

"Stop that," he looked away from her and she wasn't sure if what she caught sight of was real or not but it looked as if his cheeks had flushed slightly.

"Come in," she said, a smile on her lips.

He looked up at her and grinned. "Thank you," he nodded as he took a sip of his coffee and stepped into her flat. "Lovely décor," he said after looking around the living room.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

"I want you to take the job again." He suddenly said.

She looked at him and frowned. "No."

"What? Why not?" He frowned back. "I apologized."

Her eyes narrowed, "did you apologize because you meant it or to get me back on the job?"

"Neither," he answered but it sounded more like a question to her.

"Malfoy, I accepted your apology but I don't want to –" he cut her off.

"I'll pay you half now in advance and the rest upon completion."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry but no."

"You're the best at what you do. Come back." He told her.

"Thank you but no." She told him again.

He frowned as he looked at her, his silvery – gray eyes staring into hers. They were dark like storm clouds as he watched her. It was an odd feeling as she looked into them; she felt as if she was being sucked into their depths.

"I'll pay you double if you come back," he whispered but she heard every word as if he was whispering seductively in her ear.

"Yes," she answered as she felt herself shiver.

He smiled, a real smile and the sight seemed to dazzle her. Ginny took a step back and looked away; she shook her head slightly. Her brain felt… slow, confused. She shook her head again and then took another step back as Draco took a step towards her. Her back hit her door and she looked up at him, his eyes pulling her in again. She took a deep breath. She didn't understand why she was feeling so… so strange.

"You can do it, Ginny. I know you can." He whispered again.

She gulped and pushed herself further against the door. Something wasn't right but she couldn't tell why. Her heart was pounding, her brain felt fuzzy as she continued to look into his breathtakingly beautiful and heart throbbing eyes. She was drowning...

"I'll break into the Parkinson Manor," she said without thinking as she licked her lips.

"You do that," Draco lifted his arm and placed it on the door beside her ear then leaned forward. "I'll be waiting for your owl." He whispered, his face inches from hers, his lips just about to brush against hers if she breathed too hard.

Ginny held her breath.

Draco smirked and took a step back, his arm falling to his side. "I must be going now." He informed her and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the door and into his arms.

The contact of his body touching hers was almost more than she could bear, her resolve almost shattering as she collided with a rock hard body. She inhaled quickly, eyes staring into his but then he blinked and looked away from her. She immediately jumped away from him but he was already opening the door and exiting her flat; his laughter staying behind, filling her flat and seeming to vibrate through her bones.

As soon as she slammed the door, she shook her head and she could feel her common sense returning. She growled low in her throat as she punched her door.

"What the hell?" She cursed as she glared at the door.

Something was wrong; something _had _to be wrong, she told herself. It just had to be!

* * *

Ginny stretched as she against the wall in Knockturn Alley, the shadows hiding her from view of curious glances of the passing witches and wizards. She crossed her arms, yawning as she waited for him to appear. She had been waiting half an hour for him and now, Merlin, now she was annoyed. She was seriously losing her patience and in her state right now, it would worse on him if he made her wait any longer; even though he didn't know he was keeping her.

Ginny heard him before she saw him; immediately alert, wand in hand, as he turned the corner, reaching his usual spot in the shadows of his alley corner and jumped back in surprise when he felt a wooden stick touch his stomach.

"Don't! I'm unarmed!" He cried out, hands flying up into the air; not even reaching for his wand.

"Like hell you are." Ginny snorted, "Good afternoon, Vander." Her voice lowered to a husky purr.

She heard him groan in displeasure and she smirked. Abram Vander did _not _enjoy her visits, though he greatly enjoyed her appearance. It was the best way for her to keep her position in the crime world. If she allowed them to walk all over her, she'd have been dead a long time ago.

Ginny brushed her blond hair behind her ears and stepped into what little light appeared in their corner. She saw Vander frowned at her. And she wondered what color her hair had been last time; light or dark brown? She wasn't certain but it didn't matter. She was always changing her hair color.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Woolf?" He asked, his hair brushing through his graying hair as he looked at her.

"Information, of course, and I need it quickly." She told him as she took a step towards him, the man retreated in unison. Ginny smirked. It was always like this in the crime world; they were they mice, she the cat. An endless cycle of chasing for her to get what she wanted. An annoyance but she _always _got what she wanted in the end.

"How quickly are you talking about?" He asked, his wary eyes watching her.

"Three hours quick. I need it as soon as possible. It's a rush job. I've been slacking; I had dessert before finishing my dinner. It's bad of me but… that's what I am." She shrugged nonchalantly, a smirked on her lips as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Vander frowned as he crossed his arms. "Depends on how much money you're giving and what you want." He told her honestly.

"Giving? I'm not giving you any money. Have you forgotten my last visit so quickly?" Ginny's left eyebrow rose and she watched him gulp.

"Wait…" he started to say but stopped himself, his eyes widening.

"I gave you fifty galleons. That was for the next three visits, plus a little extra. This isn't how you play fair, Vander. I don't like it." Ginny sighed dramatically. "Do you want me to have to find someone else to help me?" She asked, crossing her arms as she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"No, no way! I remember now! I really do! Yeah, you gave me more than enough last time. Alright… Woolf, what do you need?"

"Now that's what I like to hear." She nodded and her blond hair came into sight. The sight was odd, made her feel weird. She loved glamouring herself but she really loved her red hair. She couldn't wait to fix it back; she thought with a sigh.

Vander nodded as he rubbed his hands together, "tell me what you need, Woolf. I'll have it ready in three hours."

Ginny wanted to pat the man's shoulders but figured it would probably give him a heart attack, "I need blueprints for a manor."

"Blueprints of a manor?" He looked at her in confusion. Ginny sighed, "Why do you need blueprints?"

Ginny's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Not _why_, Vander, but _whose_."

Vander got the meaning and backed off of the information, "yeah, I meant, blueprints of whose manor?" He asked instead.

Ginny nodded as she looked the man in the eyes. "That's what I understood, Vander. Now, yes, that's the important question, isn't it?"

"It would seem so. Does this have to do with your last visit and the Black locket?" He chanced a question.

Ginny sighed but figured if it would help him work faster, she'd share a bit with him. "Yes. It does. Now, in three hours, I will return for the Parkinson Manor blueprints. Don't disappoint me, Vander. You don't want that."

"And if they ask who it's for?" He couldn't quelch his curiousity. Ginny could read it in his eyes, in his facial expression.

She sighed again.

"If you must, tell them Fyrefox is in need of it." She told him as she turned to leave.

"_Fyrefox_… wait, you're –" Vander stuttered, eyes widening in surprise.

"Maybe, maybe not," she turned back and winked playfully. "I never said it was for me."

And with that, she disappeared into the shadows of Knockturn Alley.

* * *

"Potter! Hey, Potter, come here! Get Weasley, too. Quickly, man!" Sharp called from his office and the man didn't even stand there long enough to see if Harry was coming before disappearing into his office.

Harry frowned as he turned to Ron who stepped out of his office at the mention on his name.

"Was that Sharp?" He asked to which Harry nodded. "What's this about?"

"Don't know," Harry answered honestly, "Guess we're about to find out." He said as they turned into Sharp's office to see Jack fast asleep in one of the chairs, his feet propped on the desk, arms crossed behind his head and in complete relaxation.

"How long has he been out?" Harry asked.

"I'm awake now," Jack's eyes snapped opened and he looked towards the two men, his dark eyes focusing on them.

Sharp sat down at his chair and immediately began ruffling through some papers. "Come in and shut the door. Hurry," He rushed.

"What's the rush, mate?" Ron asked as he closed the door behind them. "And with all this secrecy? Have you done something illegal you need us to clear up for you?" He smirked.

"Ron, c'mon," Harry snorted and Jack laughed from the chair.

"I received an anonymous tip about Fyrefox." Sharp said suddenly, draw all three men's attention.

"Whaaaat?" Jack's jaw dropped.

"When?" Ron asked.

"From who?" Harry's eyes narrowed. Information on Ginny, bloody hell, this was bad news.

"It was anonymous, Harry. He doesn't know." Ron rolled his eyes, "Obviously."

Harry shot the man a glare.

"Well…" Sharp crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Truthfully, I received this from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but I also got information from my source in Knockturn Alley about Fyrefox. Said Fyrefox was searching for the blueprints to the Parkinson's Manor."

"Why would he need… oh! What do you think he's up to?" Ron asked.

"Stealing," Sharp answered as the thought came to Harry.

"Is the information reliable?" Harry asked.

Ginny wouldn't be so stupid to try to move now, Harry tried to assure himself. She'd just committed a major crime, she should know that it would be stupid to pull a job now. She should be lying low. He shook his head; stubborn witch.

"Yes, it's reliable. I think my source was the one that got in touch with the Department because they couldn't reach me right away. I had been… busy but as soon as I was free, I got the message."

"How do you have someone in Knockturn Alley?" Ron asked curiously.

"A man there owes me so I asked him to listen up about Fyrefox. Seems we have another shot," Sharp got to his feet, grabbing his cloak.

"And you better take advantage." The four men jumped in surprise to see Robards standing just inside the room, the door slightly ajar.

"I closed that door," Ron whispered under his breath.

Everyone ignored him as Robards looked at the four of them. "I'll be sending a team. The four of you and four others; eight should be enough to catch this bastard. Potter, gather the four others. The conference room is all yours. Good luck." And with that, the man disappeared.

Harry forced himself to relax. Maybe the tip was false information, maybe she wouldn't show. She wouldn't and if she did, she was smart and talented enough to evade six of the Aurors. Harry wouldn't harm her and he was sure Ron wouldn't either.

Sighing, he made his way to the door. "Ron and Sharp, get Pitters, Montgomery, Redman and Garcia to the conference room in ten minutes; we have much to discuss and little time. Fyrefox will be hitting the Manor at dark, midnight preferably. Let's not waste time. Jack, you're with me."

The three rushed to do what he said.

Ten minutes later, the conference room was filled with eight Aurors, seven of them watching Harry as he stood in front of them, a glass of water in his hand. He finished the remainder of the glass and placed it on the table.

The four who accompanied them were Jenson Pitters, he talked a lot but he was good at his job; Lydia Montgomery, she was young but efficient; Francis Redman, he was one of the older Aurors, having been around since before Harry had arrived but he was one of the best; and Michelle Garcia, she was quick, speed and smarts wise. They would make a good team.

"Before we came in here, I had a quick chat with Robards. Here are his orders: you are to stun as soon as you see Fyrefox. No questions or hesitations. Fyrefox is quick and will not hesitate to disarm or stun you." Harry emphasized. He really hoped Ginny didn't show. He didn't want her to get hurt or worse, have someone see who she is. Shaking his head, he looked at the seven Aurors at the table. "Our responsibility for tonight is to bring the thief in for questioning about the whereabouts of the Golden Unicorn Horn and countless artifacts, also, about other disturbances."

"Do you really think eight of us are necessary?" Pitters asked and Harry almost hexed the git.

"Have you caught Fyrefox before?" Jack asked Pitters, jumping in quickly after seeing Harry's eyes narrow.

"Well, no," Pitters answered, not knowing where Jack was going with this.

"Okay, has Fyrefox ever been caught in the last… how many years has it been?" Jack asked to the others.

"I reckon it's been about four years," Ron answered as he rested his chin on his hand, eyes staring blankly at the door to the conference room.

"Oh, thank you… has Fyrefox ever been caught in the last four years, Pitters?"

"No," Pitters answered softly.

"So, maybe I'm being _too _American buuuut, I think eight is a good number for now." Jack told him as he leaned back in chair and looked at Harry. "Now, where were you, man?"

Harry grinned, his arms crossed as he watched Pitters flush slightly at being rightfully put in his place. "We'll be heading out in about three hours. Everyone, go and eat a quick snack. Be back here in an hour and a half. If you're late… well, we're not waiting for anyone. We leave at promptly ten o'clock. Be here." He said then turned away as he heard everyone getting up. He forced himself to move at normal speed out of the conference room and out of the Ministry.

"Harry, wait up! Let's get something to eat –" Ron was saying but Harry cut him off.

"I left something at home. I've got to go get it before we go. It's important. I'll be back soon. While you're at it, can you get me a sandwich?" He looked back.

Ron nodded, "I'll go check up on Hermione, too. She's been in her office all day. I bet she's forgotten to eat. Maybe I'll take her to get some food and grab you something too. See you soon." He waved but Harry was already rushing to the elevators that would take him to the atrium and where he could get himself out of the Ministry and to where he needed to go: Ginny's flat.

If caught, Ginny, Fyrefox, was going away to Azkaban for a long time; half a dozen years if she was lucky. But Harry couldn't have that. Not after he finally realized that he _still_ loved her.

His eyes widened at the thought. He loved her still. Loved her since they first began dating, loved her still after two devastating break ups and her disappearance, loved her still even though she was a thief and he was supposed to uphold the law, loved her still even though she hated him.

Bloody hell, he was in serious trouble.

He exited the Ministry and apparated straight away to Ginny's flat in Westminster. He needed to warn her; he needed to make certain she stayed home and far away from the Parkinson Manor.

Unfortunately for him, he arrived at her door and knocked, called out for her, begged her to answer the door for twenty minutes. She obviously wasn't home. Angrily, he contemplated blasting in her door but decided it probably was in his best interest to not attract attention from her muggle neighbors.

Cursing, he apparated home and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Now, it definitely seemed like a time to have his handy cloak. He continued to curse as he stuck it into his cloak pocket and opened the floo network from his home fireplace to the one in his office. Ginny would be at the Parkinson Manor, he was sure of it now; he realized as he grabbed a handful of the floo powder and stepped into his fireplace. He needed to catch her in time, before the others caught her.

"Auror Potter office, Ministry of Magic," he called out and disappeared into the green flames.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**:

Ginny knelt by a tree on the outskirts of the small woods behind the Parkinson Manor. She looked around the grounds, there wasn't a person in sight. She checked her watch, the time read a few minutes after nine thirty. She wouldn't be breaking in until ten but it was good to be early.

She pulled the blueprints out of her pocket and unraveled it on the floor. The manor was enormous and she was lucky that whomever Vander had gotten the blueprints from had labeled the bedrooms. The master was obviously Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson. There were more than a dozen other rooms but the second largest, right down the hall from the master bedroom, appeared to be Pansy's room. It was on the second floor, on the right side of the manor.

Biting her lip, Ginny wondered which would be the best way to break into the Manor. The Parkinson family weren't home. She had owled Draco early that she would be going in tonight and he had informed her that he knew they wouldn't be home. She hadn't asked why and he hadn't said. Honestly, she didn't want to know. She didn't want to know anything more that had to do with him. She still couldn't get over what had happened earlier and coupled with the fact that she _kept _replaying the kiss with Harry in her mind, she was really looking forward to losing herself in the thrill of the steal.

She took a deep breath as she mapped out a way to Pansy's room. Draco had said he'd seen it on her, so it must be somewhere in her bedroom.

Ginny just wanted to get in, grab the Black locket, give it to Draco and disappear. Maybe move out of her apartment in Westminster and travel a little bit; disappear from the public eye. She'd drawn too much attention of late. Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, the Ministry… yes, it seemed like it was time to move out for a bit; Ginny nodded in confirmation to her thoughts. She'd have a lot of money from this job so she'd be able to move freely. She'd pack up her golden vase and disappear.

Ginny smiled as her watch alarm went off, signaling her.

It was go time.

She rolled up the blueprint and stuffed it into her bag this time. She had the layout in mind and wouldn't need to look at it again, for the time being. She got to her feet. She was ready.

Cracking her knuckles, she looked around again and when she was certain no one was around, she closed her eyes for a second. She took a deep breath and just listened. The sounds of nature filled her ears; the wind blowing around her, grasshoppers and crickets singing, birds calling out, the low howl of a wolf… she took another deep breath and inhaled the scent around her.

With that, her eyes snapped open as a grin slipped onto her lips. Oh Merlin, she was ready and with that thought, she pushed away from the tree, stepping out into the open and sprinted towards the gate surrounding the Manor. As she stood in front of the gate, she closed her eyes and whispered a spell to reveal the protection wards surrounding the gate. Where she was standing, there was a weak spot and all she had to do was open a small hole in the gate. She didn't think it would set off any warnings; not that it really mattered, no one was home anyway.

Quickly, she muttered "_Homenum Revelio!_" to which silence followed. No human was around her. Nodding, she pointed her wand at a small area and whispered "_Deprimo!_" causing a hole to blast through that spot.

No alarm went off.

Ginny climbed through quickly. As she passed through the weak spell, she felt the hair all over her body stand on end. She held her breath as she cleared it, finally breathing when she'd gotten through. She turned back and magically repaired the damage; she'd find another way to get out. It was better to be safe from someone happening upon the opening and deciding to investigate. She'd be okay.

She turned from the newly repaired gate and looked up at the Manor. It was way too big for a family of three. There really was no reason to have so much space, she thought to herself as she walked past the extravagant three layered fountain fixture, through the massive flower gardens and the topiary trees that were masterly, or magically, shaped.

Ginny snorted, shaking her head as she magically unlocked the back door and slipped into the kitchen. There were no house elves working since the family was away so Ginny was free to roam the house.

To her, this wasn't a home, she realized. A home was filled with love, with warmth and compassion but as she walked through this manor, through its halls and up the marble staircase all she felt was cold and emptiness. It was painful, even to her, as she passed magical pictures in thick, ancient frames; their eyes moving, watching her but never speaking a word. She shivered as she passed countless bedrooms until she finally came to the one she had been searching for. The golden handle beckoned her.

Smiling, Ginny reached down, ready to open it and begin her search for the Black locket when a hand appeared from thin air and clasped over her mouth.

Suddenly, she was filled with adrenaline as it coursed through her body, her blood; on high alert. She grabbed her wand, a spell on the tip of her tongue when a familiar voice silenced her.

"Harry! What the hell are –" she pushed his hand from her mouth and started to say to him but no one was there. She froze but then he pulled off the invisibility cloak. He looked down the hall then quickly opened the door and pulled her into the room. As he closed the door silently behind them, she turned on him, ready to question him. "What –" she started but before she could really say anything he was on her, his lips crushing against hers as he pushed her against the door. It was a bruising kiss but Ginny could feel his worry and panic through it; one hand was gripping her neck, the other brushed her left cheek softly.

But the kiss was over before it really started and Harry leaned his forehead against hers then sighed deeply.

"Thank you, Merlin; I caught you before they did." He whispered, his eyes closed and his uncontrollable hair smooth against her forehead.

Bloody hell, he was worried about her and she couldn't find him more attractive at the moment. Her eyes feasted on him but she stiffened when his words finally reached her.

"Did you say they?" She whispered back.

His eyes snapped open and the emerald green orbs bore into hers through his lenses. "Yes, I said they." He said as he stepped away from her and looked around the room. "Where are we?"

"Pansy Parkinson's room… wait, answer me. Who's here?" Ginny asked him as she followed him deeper into the room.

"You have to get out of here. Now," he told her as he looked around the room for an escape.

"What are you talking about? What are you doing here?" She grabbed his cloak and forced him to look at her. "Answer me, dammit." She growled.

"Shhh, keep it down, will you! Do you want to get caught?" He glared at her.

"That's why I _want _to find out who is here!" She whispered as she shook him.

"If we're caught, I'm going to be in loads of trouble. So, will you shut up so I can find you a way to get away?" He hissed as he pushed her hands away and turned towards the fireplace in the room. "Brilliant! There's some floo powder here. Come, quickly, Ginny!"

"Will you stop ordering me around!" She hissed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Take some and go. Now!"

"Harry –" he cut her off.

"Ginny, will you just do as I say? Just this once! There is a group of Aurors searching this manor right now, your brother included. I don't want to get Ron involved, so go. I don't have time for this. I have to do some more rounds before I go back to them to throw them off your trail." He turned from her but Ginny wasn't really paying attention.

He hadn't told the Ministry that she was Fyrefox. Why would he do that? What's the whole point behind that? Why would he do such a thing? He should have. He would have been promoted to Head Auror. Maybe one day he'd even become Minister. Why hadn't he told them? Her mind was reeling. Why would he protect her?

"Why are you just standing there?" He hissed as he fixed his glasses. "Go already! No, obviously you want to be caught and then we'll _both _get sent to Azkaban! Is this punishment? Do you hate me that much?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm going!" she whispered back as she rushed to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"Get out of here." Harry told her as he made his way to the door.

Ginny stepped into the fireplace and chanced a look at Harry's back but he was standing at the door, looking at her with so many emotions in his eyes. It startled her, her heart skipping a beat within her.

"Harry –" she started again but he shook his head, opened the door and shut it silently behind him. Ginny took a deep breath then lifted her hand, dropped the powder and called "Ginny Weasley's flat, Westminster" clearly and disappeared within the green flames.

* * *

Harry leaned against the closed door and finally sighed when he heard the distinct roar of the flames. He shook his head. Both of them were lucky that he had gotten to her before the others. It would have been really bad if he hadn't. Shaking his head, he checked his watch; ten forty-five. He had to meet up with the others at the entrance by eleven.

He slipped on his invisibility cloak. Better to disappear from this area so none of them would take notice. He walked under the cloak for a good ten minutes until he was far enough away from Pansy's room to be safe. He pulled it off and thanked Merlin again. He'd been so lucky.

"Potter?" A voice called him.

He looked up to see Sharp coming down the other end of the hallway.

"Yeah, it's me. Anything?" He asked though he knew the man would say no. Ginny was _long _gone right now. He felt like he could finally breathe for the first time in hours. Damn, that little witch was going to be the death of him.

"Nothing," Sharp shook his head, a frown on his face. "Let's head to the entrance. It's almost time to meet up with the others."

Harry nodded and the two set off to the meeting spot. As they turned the corner, heading for the stairs, Harry heard Sharp sigh.

"Is there a problem?" He asked the man.

"Why do you suppose the Parkinson family isn't here?" Sharp asked, looking over at Harry as they began their way down the steps.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. Truthfully, he was glad they weren't. Ginny would have been caught.

"Do you think Fyrefox did something to them?"

Harry turned suddenly to look at the Auror. "No!" He instantly realized that he was being suspicious by the expression on the man's face. "No, Fyrefox hasn't shown any sign of harm towards individuals." He said quickly, trying to redeem his sudden outburst.

"I reckon you're right." Sharp nodded slowly.

Harry sighed. Damn, Ginny was going to get him thrown in Azkaban for sure! This is all her fault; he thought angrily.

Finally, they met up with the group. The seven Aurors turned towards Harry as he ran his fingers through his hair and watched their expressions. The lot didn't look hopeful and that relaxed him.

"Report," he ordered and one by one, they began.

Francis Redman and Lydia Montgomery were the first group.

"Nothing from us; empty and dark," Redman reported. Lydia nodded next to him.

Harry nodded back and looked towards the second group: Michelle Garcia and Jenson Pitters. Harry was almost regretting bringing him when Pitters opened his mouth but Garcia jumped ahead and accounted their run through.

"Nothing from our end, either. It was just very, very quiet; almost too quiet, if you know what I mean, sir." She explained.

Harry sighed; she was right, it was unnaturally quiet. It unnerved him. He didn't like it one bit.

"Yes, Garcia, I know exactly what you mean." He nodded as he looked over at the last group; Ron, Sharp and Jack.

"Well, you know I wandered away from the others and met up with you." Sharp said before the others.

"Like everyone said, Harry, the place is empty. Maybe Sharp's man in Knockturn Alley was wrong. Fyrefox isn't here and it doesn't look like he has been." Ron added. He yawned and checked his watch.

"Or he was gone before we showed up." Jack suddenly said, "Or, maybe he heard us coming in and split quickly."

Everyone looked at him and Jack shrugged, "What? They're just ideas."

"I think Jack's right. I trust my informant. He's never led me astray before." Sharp frowned.

"There's a first for everything." Pitters mumbled but Sharp heard him. The man flinched under Sharp's penetrating glare.

"So, what do we do now?" Garcia asked as she pushed the end of her braid over her shoulder.

"We head back for now and fill out the usual paperwork. If _anything _stuck out to you here, report it. Do you hear me?" Harry ordered as he looked at the seven Aurors.

They all nodded before stepping out the front door. They then walked out the gate and apparated back to the Ministry. For a second, Harry stayed behind after they all disappeared. He looked back at the Parkinson Manor and exhaled loudly.

He wasn't comfortable with the dangers Ginny was putting herself in. He needed to do something; this was ridiculous. He couldn't have the woman he loved rotting away in Azkaban. No, there was absolutely no way. He had to do something and quick.

* * *

The second that Harry stepped into Auror Headquarters, Robards was on him.

"What happened?" The man asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched Harry. He must have heard from the others that Fyrefox had been a no-show. Harry wished the man would leave him alone for a few minutes. He had a lot on his mind.

Harry sighed as he readjusted his glasses. He knew this was what he would be coming back to but he had no choice. He couldn't just run away. Even if he _didn't _know the identity of Fyrefox, he'd still be feeling terrible; Head Auror, the position was slipping further and further out of his reach.

"Potter, tell me what happened." Robards demanded.

"No sign of Fyrefox." He said as he walked passed Robards towards his office. He pushed open his door but didn't hear it shut meaning the man had followed him. Harry groaned.

"What do you mean there was no sign of the thief?" Robards asked.

Harry walked around his desk and threw himself onto his chair. He looked up to see the man standing by the door, that same blank expression on his face, his eyes watching every move Harry made. Harry wanted to tell him to get lost; he really wasn't in any mood to deal with him or anyone else. He wanted to finish his paperwork and get to Ginny's. He had a word or two to say to her and neither of them was pretty.

"Did he get away or something?" Robards asked.

"No, Fyrefox wasn't there." Harry said through clenched teeth.

"You don't suppose Sharp was wrong, do you?" He asked, arms crossed.

"I don't suppose a thing when Fyrefox is involved," Harry sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Jack said something earlier when we were still back at the manor. He said that maybe the thief had gotten away before we had showed up. Or saw us and left."

"That bloke's got a good head on his shoulders." Robards nodded.

"Yeah, I reckon you could say that." Harry agreed.

"So, what happens now?"

"We wait for Fyrefox to strike again. Maybe I'll follow Sharp's example and have a chat with someone in Knockturn Alley." Harry said as he pulled a stack of papers out of his desk drawer.

Robards chuckled softly as he noticed Harry's papers. "I reckon this is your way of dismissing me even though _I'm _your boss." He laughed, "Being dismissed, I see why people hate it so much now." And with that, the man turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

As the door shut, Harry exhaled loudly, his head falling against the back of his chair. He was _physically _tired. Lying to so many people, it was taking its toll but what other choice did he have? He couldn't tell them the truth; all this because he loved Ginny. Bloody hell, love was complicated.

Shaking his head slightly, he sat up and looked down at his paperwork. He needed to finish this quickly. Oh, Ginny better be ready for him when he gets there because there was going to be hell to pay.

An hour later, a knock drew Harry's attention from his paperwork.

"Come in," he called and looked up to see Sharp, Ron and Jack enter. They all looked tired; probably the same way he looked and felt. He yawned. "What do you want?" He didn't mean to sound rude but he had other business.

"Is the famous Harry Potter always like this?" Jack chuckled.

Harry glared at him. "None of that famous hippogriff dung in my office, Jack."

Jack laughed. "Temper, temper…"

"What's wrong, mate? Yelling at an American like that," Ron shook his head. "That's not cool."

"Sorry," he sighed, "I'm tired. It's been one long day."

"Why don't you call it a night?" Sharp asked.

"Soon," Harry answered as he signed the last page. "Done! Merlin, that was boring."

"Just finishing your paperwork?" Ron asked as he stopped forward and dropped a stack of paper on his desk; Sharp followed suit.

"Yes, why are you leaving those here?" He frowned.

"Robards said you're the head on this so… these are for you." Ron grinned.

"Blimey," Harry yawned again. "I'll check them tomorrow. I'm heading home." He told them as he got to his feet. "Goodnight, gentlemen," he said as he ushered them out of his office and grabbed his cloak. He still had one more stop to make before he could finally get some sleep.

They nodded as they each stepped through the door. Ron looked back as they left but Harry wasn't paying attention. He had plans. He shut the door and followed them out to the atrium and the apparition spot. For a second, he noticed Jack talking to Sharp. He wondered what they were talking about but then they apparated, Ron next and he just let the curiosity go. He had other things to worry about.

With the swish of his wand, he apparated and appeared on the doorstep of Ginny's flat. He checked his watch; it was a little after midnight. He wondered if she was sleeping. He shook his head, he didn't care if she was sleeping or not. They were going to talk; he thought as he pushed his glasses up his nose and knocked on the door, loud.

Nothing.

Harry knocked again then heard a small crash followed by muffled curses. He strained his ears to see if he could hear what was been said. He thought he heard "for the love of Merlin," but he couldn't be too certain because it was followed by curses.

He knocked again.

"I'm coming, dammit! Hold on!"

He couldn't stop the slight smile that came to his lips as he waited. He heard her continue to curse and the door unlock. The door swung open and he just stared at her in all her beauty though a frown was on her lips and there was a dangerous look in her eyes. She was breathtaking to behold.

He took a deep breath and forced himself into her flat, shutting the door behind him.

"Yes, do come in." She muttered sarcastically and all of his anger came back.

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" He almost yelled.

She glared at him. "What is your problem? Coming into my home and yelling at me? What gives you the right -" he cut her off.

"Fyrefox is almost number one on the Auror watch list and you go and try to steal something tonight! That's what I'm talking about! You're out of your goddamn mind!"

"I was doing _just _fine before you came back in my life!" She growled

"Just fine…? If you keep this up, Azkaban will have one new inhabitant and I won't be able to do a goddamn thing about it!" He hissed.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I didn't need your help." She snorted.

"Hah, you're crazy. Luckily, you don't have a death wish. Wait, you must do because if you keep this up, you'll die in Azkaban." He crossed his arms and glared at her.

"Come off it! What I do is none of your bloody business!" She took a step towards him.

"Yes, actually, it is when you steal from the Ministry _then _set up another assignment right after! Are you nuts? The Aurors are looking even harder for you!" He took a step towards her.

"I don't need you to look after me, Potter." She looked away from him.

"Obviously, you do." He growled. "Does this have anything to do with Malfoy?"

"This again? I already told you! Whatever business I have with Draco is none of yours!" She crossed her arms in fury. "Where do you come from that you think you have _any _say in what I do with my life? If I want to go steal and get caught then thrown into Azkaban, it's none of your concern!" She spat.

His eyes narrowed. Of course it was his business! He loved her! But… she wasn't ready to hear that.

"Now, go home. Thank you for earlier but I won't need you anymore. Next time, I'll be out before you even come close to seeing me." She turned away, her back to him as she looked at her living room. Her red hair falling down her back making Harry want to reach out and he did before he had even thought about it. His fingers ran through her silky hair and he pulled a strand up to his lips and kissed it.

"I worry about you, Ginny." He whispered softly.

The only sounds in the room were their breathing. He heard her sigh and turn around, looking up into his eyes; they were so bright, like melted chocolate. He wanted to stare into them forever.

"I can take care of myself." She whispered but there was no anger behind it.

"I know you can." He said as he reached down and caressed her cheek. "Merlin, do I know that."

She leaned into his caress, her eyes closing at the contact. She licked her lips and his eyes immediately look down at them; so red, so inviting. She was so beautiful.

"Ginny," he whispered.

She looked up into his eyes then wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. Her kiss was exactly what his heart needed, he realized as she ran her fingers through his hair and asked to deepen the kiss. She didn't have to ask twice; he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the door; his hands in her hair, on her face, touching her everywhere he could.

He was in Heaven; he was so alive when he was with her. Sweet Merlin, he never wanted to be without her. He loved her so much. He needed her.

He lost all thought as she grabbed his glasses, throwing them on the floor as she pulled off his shirt. He stepped back and they both stumbled onto her couch, breaking the kiss. She crawled on top of him, straddling him and grabbed the hair on his nape, pulling him up to continue their kiss. He grabbed her around the waist, drawing her closer to him. He felt her pulling on her shirt, so he helped her remove it, throwing it on the floor beside the couch. Unfortunately, since he didn't have his glasses on, he couldn't see her well but it didn't matter to him. All that mattered was how she felt against him and damn, did she feel so bloody good.

So good that he knew he had to stop this; damn him and his morals, he growled but pushed her back.

"Harry?" She asked, her voice husky and breathless.

It drove him crazy.

"I… we… we should slow down." He got out somehow as he reached into his pocket for his wand. He called for his glasses and they flew into his hands. He slipped them on and almost regretted it as he looked up at Ginny.

She was even more beautiful, if that was possible. Her hair was a mess from his hands, her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes glazed over with lust, desire; her shirt off, straddling him only in a pair of black jeans and a black bra. It was a heady thing to behold.

"I want you, Harry." She whispered as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

Merlin, did he want her too! But he knew if he made love to her right now… it just wasn't the right time. He'd just come back to her life. They needed to slow down. He knew that in his mind but his body, well, it was telling him something different.

"I know you want me too, I can tell." She whispered in his ear then kissed the spot right below it.

His breath caught in his throat. Dammit, she wasn't going to make this easy.

"Ginny… I – I do but … we – yeah, we should slow down." He managed to say.

She pulled back from him and smiled; it was breathtaking; it just made things harder.

"You're too much of a good guy for your own good, Harry." She told him as she got off of him. "But, I reckon you're right." She sighed.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as he got to his feet and fumbled to put his shirt back on. He was having a hard time buttoning it.

Ginny walked up to him and helped him; Harry was forced to look away.

"You should… you should put your shirt back on." He told her.

Ginny laughed, "is the temptation too much to bear?" She asked.

"Yes," he answered honestly.

She laughed again as she finished buttoning up his shirt and then picked up her own. She slipped it on as she watched him walk towards the door. She followed him.

"I should go," he said as he looked back at her. He was exhausted. This was the right thing to do. "It's been a long day."

Ginny smiled, "You know, you don't have to go."

He frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea." He told her.

"My bed is big enough for the both of us." She said playfully.

"Ginny," he groaned as he closed his eyes.

She chuckled, "oh, alright."

"How about I make you dinner tomorrow?" He asked instead.

"You'll cook for me?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'll cook you dinner. Being a bachelor has taught me one thing, how to cook." He chuckled. She did, too.

"Okay, that sounds good to me." She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Perfect. Goodnight, Ginny." He said as he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against hers. She returned the kiss but he pulled away before she could deepen it.

"Goodnight," she whispered after he pulled away and opened the door, "tomorrow." She nodded.

Harry nodded back then stepped through the door, shutting it behind him. Now, he needed to get home, take a _very _cold shower then maybe he'd be able to get some sleep.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**:

The next morning, Ginny laid in bed staring up at her ceiling; all the memories from the previous day coming back to her. She sighed as she rolled over on to her side. Harry and she had almost slept together. Yes, she wasn't a child anymore but… she blushed at her thoughts.

"Damn," she mumbled as she threw the covers off her and got up. She couldn't lie around all day, thinking about it all. Nope, she absolutely could not.

She didn't suppose that lying in bed all day thinking about that kiss and what they had almost done would be a productive way to spend it. No, it wouldn't.

With that thought, she went into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Just something to do because bloody hell, the way Harry had kissed her had taken away her breath. Merlin, she needed to _stop _thinking about that!

She took a sip of her freshly brewed coffee and sighed. Hell, being home, alone was _not _going to help her.

Ah, she knew what would help. She'd go visit Luna! That would help. Something to take her mind off the way Harry's hands had felt as they touched – ah! She shook her head. She finished the rest of her coffee, took a quick shower and pulled on a pair of old blue jeans and a Holyhead Harpies jersey. They'd offer her a position on the team once she graduated but she had turned them; actually, every year, they send someone to ask her once again. Of course, she has no reason to accept now. She's living the life she loves; she wouldn't have it any other way.

Ginny grabbed her wand and bag, stepped out of her apartment, magically locking it as she left. She apparated to the Scamander home and smiled when she caught sight of Luna kneeling in the garden in front of the house.

Luna looked up and smiled. "Ginny, good morning, may I ask why you are here?"

"You should have been a professor, Luna." Ginny chuckled and already she was feeling better and forgetting _why _she had come.

"Oh no, there are too many unknown creatures out there for me to find. My brilliance would be lost in a classroom." Luna explained honestly as she looked back at her herbs.

Ginny nodded.

"And I would be awfully bored if she was in there," Rolf added as he came out of their house with a pitcher of water.

"Thank you," Luna smiled as she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed a cup.

Rolf smiled then turned towards Ginny, "Welcome, would you like some breakfast?"

Ginny smiled, "sure," then followed the two of them into the house.

"Would you like me to owl Neville?" Luna asked after they had finished breakfast and were sitting around in the living room; Rolf had run off to do some errands leaving the two women to their devices. Ginny frowned and looked at her.

"Why would you do that?" She asked

Luna sighed and turned her dreamy yet knowing eyes on Ginny. She shook her head, a small smile coming to her lips. "I know you, Ginny. We've been friends for a long time. Something is wrong. Wrong enough that you came here to forget, didn't you?"

Ginny sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Luna did know her, damn.

"I reckon between Neville and I, we can come up with some answer to whatever is bother you." Luna told her.

Ginny covered her face with her hands.

"I figured as much. Truthfully, I already sent word to Neville. He should be here soon." Luna spoke again.

Ginny dropped her hands, "already? When did you…?"

"About right after you arrived. I assumed something was wrong. I was right." Luna nodded.

"Why are you so insightful?" Ginny mumbled.

Luna smiled.

A knock on the door drew their attention. Luna got to her feet and disappeared to get it. Ginny took a sip of her Butterbeer and leaned back against the couch. Yes, Luna was right. She was beyond troubled and even though she had come to Luna to forget, Harry kept slipping through and she'd see his passion-filled face in her mind's eye then she was right back to where she started. He was always there, just within reach. The small noises he made when they kissed, his emerald green eyes, his messy hair, that sexy smile –

"You don't suppose she fell asleep with her eyes opened?" A voice asked pulling her out of her memories.

Ginny blinked to see Neville and Luna, already seated, watching her. She shook her head, forcing Harry from her mind.

"Sorry, I was just…" she didn't even know what to say.

"Thinking about her problem," Luna told him.

"You have a problem?" Neville asked as he took a sip from the Butterbeer Luna just handed him. "Does this problem have anything to do with a man?" He asked with an odd tone that worried Ginny.

Neville knew, at least a little bit.

"How's Hogwarts?" She asked.

"Don't try that now, Ginny." Neville's eyes narrowed.

She sighed, "And what if it does?" She asked him, going back to his last question.

"Harry?" Luna asked.

"No, Marcus Brody," she answered sarcastically. She'd been watching the muggle movie series, Indiana Jones, as of late. The television was such a blessed invention.

Both Neville and Luna looked at her oddly.

"Who's Marcus Brody?" Neville asked, "Some American bloke?"

Ginny snorted, "Yes, Luna, Harry." She took another sip of her Butterbeer and when she looked up, she noticed Luna and Neville share a look. "What?"

"What what?" Neville responded.

"What was that look?" Ginny looked between the two of them.

"That look was nothing," Neville said.

"It was an understanding look," Luna answered and Neville shot her another look.

"Will you cut that out, Neville," Ginny glared then looked at Luna, "what do you mean?"

"This is about Harry. I knew it. You fancy him." Luna told her.

"I – I do _not_!" She stammered.

Luna and Neville smiled knowingly.

"What! I am not, you two!" She looked between the two of them. "I don't, honestly!"

"Then what's wrong?" Luna asked curiously.

"No – no… it's just that… he's back and annoying the bloody hell out of me. I don't know what to do about it." She didn't know how to explain the exact situation to them. They didn't know she was Fyrefox and that, in her spare time, she stole things for a living. It would probably cause problems in their friendship.

"You've seen him?" Neville frowned. "When?"

"At – at the ball for the President and – and he came to my apartment." She stuttered.

"He went to your apartment? How does he know where it is?" He asked. "I thought no one but us knew were you lived."

"Well, it turns out that the Ministry has different and unorthodox ways to find people, or so Harry said." Ginny growled.

"Maybe he followed you," Luna shrugged.

"Luna, c'mon, this is Harry we're talking about!" Neville looked at her. "He doesn't stalk people."

"Because he's the _famous _Harry Potter and he never does _never _does anything bad." Ginny answered sarcastically.

"Ginny, please, Harry's my friend." He shot her a look.

"Yes, yes, yes, I know." She sighed.

"Anyway, what's bothering you about Harry?" Luna asked instead.

"We kind of… well, we were fighting and we sort of… er – we…" she stopped.

"You did what, Ginny?" Neville asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Well, we kind of kissed and almost…" She bit her lip and looked away from their curious eyes.

"Almost what?" Luna asked with a knowing twinkle to her eyes. "You almost did what?"

"We almost slept together, okay!" She yelled, jumping to her feet, hands turning into fists.

Neville's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth dropped in speechless shock while Luna chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" Ginny glared at her best friend.

"You and Harry," Luna smiled, "you're made for each other."

"As if!" Ginny slammed her empty Butterbeer bottle on the coffee table. Neville still sat stiff as a board, his eyes wide in shock. It seemed as if he seriously didn't suspect that to be what Ginny was worried about.

"Come now, Ginny. There is no reason to act like this." Luna clicked her tongue in disappointment.

Ginny frowned, feeling thorough reprimanded, and dropping quietly back onto the couch. She crossed her arms and looked away from their all-knowing eyes. She didn't like what she saw.

"You and Harry… you and Harry almost…" Neville mumbled.

"Oh, c'mon, Neville; it's not that difficult." Luna shook her head.

Ginny fought a smile as Neville glared at the blond woman.

"And now what… that you guys almost… you know?" He asked, looking back at Ginny.

"He wants to cook for me." Ginny told them.

"That's splendid news, Ginny!" Luna smiled.

Ginny snorted.

"It is," Neville told her.

"I don't know…" Ginny answered truthfully. She was still angry with Harry for what he did to her all those years ago. Almost sleeping together, well, that was in the moment and could happen to everyone; though, Ginny wanted to do that again. She shook her head but having him cook for her, it seemed more… permanent; if that made sense. It could lead to more things, like acknowledging the return of feelings that she buried deep down many, many years ago. It frightened her, really.

"What are you thinking?" Neville asked.

Ginny shook her head. She needed to go. She needed to think before Harry showed up tonight. She sighed as she got to her feet, both Luna and Neville doing the same. "I'm going home. Harry will being coming over in a few hours and I need to… think."

Both of them nodded as Ginny left the living room, exited from the Scamander household and apparated to her flat.

* * *

Harry stood at Ginny's door, a bag filled with groceries in one hand and a bouquet of red roses in the other. He took a deep breath and knocked. It was quiet for a moment and then he heard footsteps rushing to the door. It opened quickly and Harry smiled at Ginny's slight smile.

She looked as if she didn't know if she should be happy to see him or not.

"Good evening, Ginny," he grinned and her smile widened. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

She nodded as she moved out of the way to let him in. Harry stepped in, handing the roses to her and smiled at the set table. Even though she seemed confused about how she felt, she had set the table for two; two candles and an empty golden vase.

"What are you cooking?" Ginny asked curiously as she followed him into the kitchen, grabbing the golden vase as they passed the table.

"Baked ziti," he smiled as he began pulling groceries out of his bag with an undetectable extension charm on it. He pulled out pasta, sauce and the cheese.

"I love pasta," she answered suspiciously.

Harry laughed at her expression. "No, I didn't ask anyone. I just remembered."

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips; "of course you did."

He turned back to the stove, setting the pasta to boil. He heard her come up behind him and lean against the counter. She was watching him and he got the feeling that she didn't know what to do with him here.

"I have some wine, if you'd like some." She told him quietly.

"I'd love that," he smiled at her as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "This shouldn't take too long."

"I can be patient." She told him as she poured the red wine into two glasses. She handed one to him as he stirred the pasta. "No magic?" She asked.

"I find it nice to cook without magic, mostly." He told her. "I also spent eleven years living without magic, some habits are hard to stop; plus cooking without it is fun."

Ginny leaned against the counter and continued to watch him in silence, occasionally sipping on her wine; her eyes watching him.

Fifteen minutes later, the baked ziti was finished and he was pouring it into a bowl.

"Do you want some salad?" He asked.

"No, pasta is just fine." She smiled as she grabbed the bottle of wine and followed him to the table. She had placed the golden vase with the red roses on the table and lit the candles. She slid into one of the chairs and took a sip of her wine.

Harry sat across from her and smiled at her nervous expression. It was unbelievably adorable. This was a side of Ginny Weasley he hadn't seen in almost ten years. It was definitely a sight.

"Ladies first," he told her has he handed over the bowl of pasta. Ginny reached for it and accidently knocked over her wine glass, spilling it onto the table and white dress. She jumped to her feet, cursing under her breath.

Harry couldn't help himself, he laughed.

She shot him a glare.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let me help you." He told her as he got to his feet and stepped around the table, his wand in hand already. He cleaned up the mess on the table and then removed the stain on her dress. She sighed as she rubbed her hands over the freshly cleaned spot.

Ginny looked up, her bright brown eyes dark with emotion. "Thank you," she whispered and her expression was just too much for him to handle.

Within seconds, his lips were on hers, kissing her deeply. Ginny reciprocated, grasping his hair and kissing him with all she had. Merlin, he was losing his mind. He'd just made dinner. They should be eating; he told her he wanted to take things slow but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to have her; all of her, here on her dinner table and screw his morals and what was right. He wanted what felt good, what he _wanted_.

Ginny pushed him back and he stumbled through a door, he heard it hitting the wall. He righted himself as grabbed her, pulling her to him. She pulled on his shirt roughly, yanking off the bottoms; he heard them fall to the floor. She ran her fingers over his chest and Harry closed his eyes at the sensation.

Dinner could wait; he would have his desert first.

Harry's hands slid to her neck and he brushed off the right strap of her dress. He pulled away from her kiss and softly kissed the soft porcelain skin that was displayed to his eyes. It was smooth below his lips and he heard her sigh at the contact. He did the same to the other side. She whispered his name and something inside of him snapped. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her lips to his.

_Now_, his blood was boiling. He lifted her off the floor and carried her to the bed; he figured they were in her bedroom but he didn't truly take notice. All he could see was Ginny and her big, comfy bed. He tossed her on it, slightly breaking contact.

Ginny got on her knees on the bed, making them about the same height and grabbed the sides of his opened shirt, pulling him to her. "You can't stop me now, Harry." She told him as she kissed him and Harry never agreed more with someone. There was _no way in the bloody world_ he was going to stop now; he thought as he tackled her onto the bed.

No one would stop him now.

Ginny ran her fingers down his chest, her hands stopping at his belt. She began to unbuckle it when a tapping came to the window. They both stopped and looked at the window. Harry saw it was an owl but that wasn't stopping him now. He had agreed with her. There was no stopping now. He leaned down to kiss her again but she stopped him, grabbing her wand and magically opening the window. The owl flew in and went straight to him. He groaned.

"I reckon it's for you." Ginny chuckled.

He got off of her and grabbed the parchment from the owl. It flew away immediately. He opened the letter and groaned again. Of course, it was from Robards.

_Come in. We might have news about another incident pertaining to Fyrefox._

"Is it about me?" Ginny asked curiously as she fixed her dress and slid off the bed, following him.

"Of course, I have been tasked with catching you." He sighed as he magically repaired his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten, though it was pointless. "I have to go. I'm sorry about dinner. Go ahead and eat. I'll come back tomorrow." He told her as he walked to the door.

Ginny smiled, "See you tomorrow," she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss.

"Stay out of trouble until then," he grinned and with that, he was gone.

* * *

A knock drew Ginny's attention from the dinner Harry had cooked for her. He'd left back to the Ministry a little over half an hour ago. She had been eating his baked ziti since then; it was really delicious. Harry could cook and that thought brought a smile to her face as she placed her bowl back on the table, magically turned the music down she was listening to and frown as the knock came again.

Was it Harry? She wondered. Did he get away early and change his mind about coming back tomorrow?

That thought brought an excited smile to her face. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way about him but she couldn't help it. He made her feel… she didn't know how to explain it.

With a sigh and the smile on her face, Ginny opened the door and just like that, her smile fell.

"Expecting someone else?" Draco Malfoy asked with a smirk on his lips.

Ginny turned from the door and Draco followed her into the flat, the door shutting behind him with finality; Ginny didn't like the sound. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned back to him with her arms crossed in annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, "It's certainly way passed the time for social calls."

"Ruining something, am I?" He asked as he looked behind her at the made table.

Ginny looked back at the table and sighed, if he'd been half an hour early, he certainly would have been interrupting. Now, well, no, he wasn't.

"No, now, again, what are you doing here? It's late, Draco and I'm tired." She lied. She didn't want him to be here with her in her home alone. He made her feel weird.

His smirk dropped immediately, his eyes narrowing as he took a step towards her, a dangerous look in his eyes. Ginny took a step back, his eyes drawing hers in.

"You didn't contact me after your trip to the Parkinson Manor. I reckon that meant you didn't get what you went there for, Ginny." He said.

She shook her head, "no, I didn't. Aurors showed up before I could snatch it up. I had to leave or I would have been arrested."

"I heard you were better than this." He glared.

"I am," she shook her head again, froze on the spot, "I will get it next time. I had been so close and the next time, I will get it."

Draco crossed his arms and shook his head. "You have one more chance. Do you hear me? One more chance, Ginny," he told her.

Ginny nodded.

"Tomorrow night, the Parkinson family will be throwing their annual Christmas ball. It will be filled with many people and that should be your next best chance to get the Black locket."

"I will." Ginny said immediately.

"I will take you as my date. It will be the easiest way." Draco took a step towards her and pulled on a strand of her hair. He twirled it around his finger and pulled on it, drawing her closer to him; his eyes burning into hers.

"Yes," Ginny agreed and then frowned as she stopped in front of him, looking up into his eyes.

"Spectacular," he whispered as he leaned down and grabbed her chin. "Look amazing. You'll be on my arm and only the beautiful belong there." He told her as he softly pulled her chin so their lips were inches away from each other, his warm breath caressing hers.

Ginny wanted to feel what they felt like on hers; then she pulled back suddenly at that thought. She did _not _want to know that! She wanted… she wanted Harry?

Draco smirked as she pulled away from him. "That'll be all for now. I'll come by tomorrow night to pick you up, Ginny."

Ginny looked away, shook her head and reached for the door. Draco chuckled behind her, following her and slipped out of the door. He stopped outside the door and grabbed her hand, pulling it to his lips and brushing them against the top of her hand; his lips lingered a little longer than was respectable but he didn't care.

Ginny didn't know if she did either. She didn't like that feeling at all.

Draco released her hand and smiled, really smiled at her. "Goodnight, Ginny. I'll see you tomorrow," and with that, Draco disapparated.

Neither of them aware of the man watching them from the end of the hall.

* * *

Harry stepped into Robards office to see him sitting with Ron, Sharp, Jack, Kingsley and the President.

"Harry, so good of you to join us!" Kingsley smiled as he took a sip of a flask.

Harry's eyebrows rose as he watched him pass the flask to the President who took a swing as well. He then passed it to Jack, who did the same then passed it on to Ron then Sharp. They each took a sip.

"Are you guys drunk?" He asked in surprise.

"No way!" Robards shook his head with a small smile on his face.

They were drunk. Harry couldn't believe it! He shook his head. "You guys pulled me away from my – ah, what did you guys want?" He cleared his throat.

"Where were you?" Ron asked curiously.

"I was out…" he muttered.

"With a woman, I'd guess." Jack laughed.

"A wo – woman? I thought you still fancied Ginny?" Ron got to his feet.

"What? Why would you say that?" Harry frowned.

"I'm your best mate. I know you." Ron crossed his arms, "And Hermione told me." He added with a silly grin on his face.

Hermione! Harry thought angrily. He couldn't believe she would say something like that to Ron! Well, they were married. They would share everything now. He sighed. Of course they would.

"Why did you call me here? To drink with you sorry excuse of people?" He asked sarcastically.

All of them laughed.

Sharp got to his feet but stumbled. Jack caught him and the two of them shared a look that confused Harry but he pushed that thought aside. Sharp stood up again and looked at Harry.

"No, that's not why we called you. I had Robards contact you because my contact in Knockturn Alley informed me of something this afternoon. I had been running down all the details and though I don't know why, I know Fyrefox will be there." Sharp explained.

"Be where?" Harry asked curiously as he grabbed a chair and sat.

"He informed me that every year the Parkinson family holds a ball for Christmas. Their ball will be tomorrow night and many will be in attendance. I believe Fyrefox will be there as well. There to take whatever the thief had been planning on taking the other night."

Harry crossed his arms. It made perfect sense and now that they informed him, he'd make sure Ginny was nowhere near the Parkinson Manor tomorrow night. He'd keep her away, anyway he could.

"I reckon a dozen Aurors this time." Robards spoke up.

"We can't just walk our way into the Parkinson ball. We were lucky they weren't home the other night and could just search as we wanted." Harry told them.

"Let's try going undercover. It's been such a long time since I've done that!" Ron rubbed his hands together in glee.

Harry shook his head. Ron loved to go undercover ever since their first assignment. They had to go undercover to catch the apprentice of an evil, dark wizard from the Second War. He had died in the Final Battle at Hogwarts and the apprentice, James Shim, had started little and as time went on, he began to do evil and terrible things. Ron and Harry had gone undercover and caught him. Ron had loved it.

"That's a good idea," Jack smiled. "It's been a long time for me too. I love going undercover."

Harry snorted as they all began talking about assignments where they had been forced to go undercover. He reckoned it was their best option even though he would make certain Ginny wouldn't show up. No Ginny, no Fyrefox and no need for anything to get out of control; that thought brought a smile to his face. Now, he just had to get to Ginny and make sure he doesn't go to the ball.

"What's that smile about, Potter?" Sharp asked curiously.

"It's about that woman. Maybe he'll take her to the ball tomorrow as his date!" Jack clapped his hands in excitement. "Who is she? Have I met her?" He asked.

"But I thought you fancied Ginny." Ron frowned.

"Ginny… Ginny, as in your younger sister?" Sharp asked.

"Yeah, they used to date." Ron's eyebrows rose suggestively.

"Used to? What happened?" Jack asked.

"The Wizarding world needed me," Harry responded as he got up from his seat. "I'm going home for the night. We'll meet up tomorrow morning at ten to discuss our plans and the group we will be taking. Don't be late," he said as he turned his back and exited Robards office. The six men watched the door close and sighed in unison.

"What's his problem?" The President asked as he reached for the flask.

"Woman issues," Kingsley answered. "Potter was in love a few years ago but he gave her up for the good of the people."

"How … selfless," Jack answered with a frown.

"That's Harry Potter," all the British men replied.

* * *

Harry had decided to apparate outside Ginny's flat and get up there the muggle way. He had a lot on his mind; a little more walking wouldn't kill him. He sighed. _Ginny Weasley_. Everyone knew about her and what had happened, really. Well, not everyone. Just Ron, Hermione and Kingsley knew about all of that. And Harry would like to keep it that way. Ginny was a sore subject, even now it seemed; he realized as he took the elevator. He loved her and now he was worried that all this, all the time they've spent together, everything that was coming back would be for nothing. She would reject him this time, with her hate for the Ministry and what he had done to her all those years ago.

Harry sighed as the elevator doors opened and he made his way down the hallways and turned the corner then froze as he caught sight of Ginny and Malfoy standing at her door. Malfoy kissed her hand, keeping his lips against her skin longer than he should and what bothered Harry the most, was that Ginny didn't pull her hand away or say anything as he released her hand, said a few words to her, smiled and then disapparated.

Harry stood there for a few moments watching her standing in front of her door staring into nothing. His blood boiled, his mind blanked out.

Ginny was with Malfoy.

Something inside of him snapped and suddenly he was across the hall. Ginny jumped as he appeared. He grabbed her upper arms and forced back into her flat, slamming the door behind them.

"Harry!" She cried out as he pushed her against the door roughly.

"Malfoy? Again! Are you – are you sleeping with him?" He growled. His anger was strong, so very strong.

"What? No!" Ginny yelled and pushed Harry away. "Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy! That's all you ever talk about!" She turned away from him and started to make her way to her bedroom.

"Don't turn your back on me! I'm talking to you, Ginny." Harry followed her. "What was he doing here?"

"Like I've told you before, Harry, it's none of your business." She glared at him. The glare of course didn't deter him from following her.

"Well, I'm making it my bloody business." He grabbed her by the arm. "Are you… with him?" He asked uncertainly, his heart beating erratically in his chest. He prayed to Merlin that there wasn't anything going on. He couldn't… he didn't know what he would do if there was.

Ginny turned back to look at him, her expression softening as she took in his. "No, I'm not with Draco. It's just… business." She explained to him.

Harry sighed and his eyes widened when Ginny grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. He relaxed as she deepened the kiss.

"Stay tonight," she whispered as she pulled back and looked at his eyes through his lenses.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't know if that was a good idea. He didn't know if he could control himself.

"Just… just stay. I promise I won't seduce you," she teased and Harry could feel a smile widening on his lips. He was weakening. Ginny did that to him.

"I'll stay but…" he stopped when Ginny kissed him lightly.

"I'll behave," she winked playfully and Harry chuckled.

"Oh, alright," he grinned then picked her up.

Ginny cried out in surprise, "Harry!"

He laughed as he threw her on the bed and slid in next to her. He kicked off his shoes and cuddled up to her, inhaling her floral scent. "Hmmm," he mumbled as she chuckled.

"Behave, Harry," she chuckled.

"Just because we're not going to… make love doesn't mean I can't enjoy this right now. And… maybe lose a few things…" he told her as he kissed her neck, "like these socks," he leaned down and pulled off her red socks, "or this beautiful, sinful, white dress," he began to pull the dress up over her body and leaving her in matching bra and panties. "Hmmm, that's just perfect." He whispered as he ran his fingers down her body.

"Harry," she whispered huskily.

"I'll just remove my jeans and shirt and then… then we'll get some sleep." He whispered to her. After doing that, he grabbed his wand and turned off the lights. "Go to sleep, Ginny. Behave, please." He begged as she sighed, chuckled and rolled onto her side. He smiled as he pulled her body back against him, her back to his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist possessive and smiled wider as he nuzzled her hair.

Oh yeah, this was the_best _way to get some sleep… well maybe not the best but the second best; he thought as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Harry," Ginny whispered and he grinned.

"Goodnight, Ginny." He whispered back and completely forgot that he had something to tell her.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**:

The sun was hitting his face through the shades on the wrong side of his room. He rolled over and groaned, pulling the sheet over his head. Then it hit him. Harry shut up in the bed, the sheet falling down to his waist revealing his bare chest. He looked around, his eyes taking in Ginny's room. He sighed, that's right. He had spent the night with Ginny; just _spent the night_. He fell back against the bed and smiled. He hadn't slept so well in… Merlin, he didn't even know.

Harry then frowned when he realized Ginny wasn't in bed with him. He'd wanted to kiss her, touch her… and oddly enough, he couldn't hear her in the bathroom or in the kitchen. He pushed back the covers and got to his feet. He grabbed his wand from the nightstand and walked into the living room.

"Ginny?" He called out.

_Nothing_.

He frowned as he walked into the kitchen. A pot of fresh coffee was waiting there for him. She wasn't here. He wondered where she could be as he looked at the time. It was nine fifteen. His eyes widened.

He needed to get home, shower, change and then get to office. Then it hit him. He had forgotten to tell Ginny about the Christmas Ball! He needed to get in touch with her. She couldn't go.

"Bloody hell," he cursed as he rushed into her bedroom to grab his clothes. He pulled them on. Once dressed, he rushed into the living room and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from a drawer in the kitchen. He scribbled a quick note:

_Heading to the office. Do _not _go to the ball. I'll be there. ~ H_

He didn't know if being so cryptic would work but that's all he could do right now. He hoped she'd be able to understand. So, with that thought, Harry skipped out of Ginny's flat and apparated to his home. When he got there, he took a quick shower, changed and apparated to the office. He needed to brief everyone.

As Harry walked into Auror Headquarters, he checked the time; it was ten o'clock on the dot. He nodded to himself as he caught sight of Ron and Sharp talking in front of his office.

"Morning, Harry," Ron said as Harry opened the door to his office, the two followed him.

"Morning, Ron, Sharp," he sat down at his desk. "I need some coffee." He grumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'll get you some. I was going to get myself some more," Sharp said as he turned and left the office.

"Lovely," Harry sighed as he looked down at his desk. He was exhausted and worried. He hoped Ginny got his letter and stayed away. He really did.

"Did you have date with Ginny last night?" Ron asked suddenly, surprising Harry.

Ron really wasn't a bright man but he did notice things and when one was married to the brightest witch of the age, one picked up a few things along the way.

Harry looked up at him and looked at him for a second. "Why would you ask that?"

"I know that Hermione talked to you a while back about Ginny and you kindly told her to mind her own business. She's my sister. The family is worried about her. She's disappeared. None of us have really seen her. She avoids us. None of us know where she lives. We're… well, we're seriously worried about her." Ron explained as he slid into the chair in front of Harry's desk with a sigh.

Then his, and the Weasley's, mind would explode if they knew Ginny was the infamous thief, Fyrefox. Harry sighed, he didn't know if Ginny wanted the Weasley's, or anyone else for that matter, to know about them… if there was even a "them". Harry didn't know what was going on between them. He loved her. But he didn't know how she felt. He sighed again.

"That's a deep sigh, mate." Ron noticed. "Everything alright?"

"I can't wait for all of this to be over." He told Ron cryptically.

Ron watched him. He opened his mouth to say something but Sharp returned with two mugs of coffee and Jack on his heels.

"Good morning, all! Isn't it a fine day to catch a thief? Oh, I'm so excited!" Jack clapped happily.

Harry grimaced at the man's expression.

"I hate morning people," Ron muttered. Harry grinned at that.

"And morning people hate you," Jack glared playfully.

"Alright, now, let's get this meeting on the road. Ron, Sharp, we need to pick eight more Aurors for tonight." Harry started.

"What about the group from the other night at the Parkinson Manor?" Sharp asked.

"Everyone is fine but Pitters." Harry nodded in agreement. "And we need more women. For dates," he added.

Ron rolled his eyes. "I can understand not wanting Pitters but the women, for dates, Harry. They won't like that."

"I'm not saying that that's all they'll be there for, Ron." He glared.

Jack laughed, "It sure sounded like that."

"So, we'll take Montgomery, Redman, Garcia," Sharp cut in, "how about Jefferson? He's young but efficient."

"He'll be good." Harry agreed.

Fifteen minutes later, they had decided on their group.

_Lydia Montgomery._

_Francis Redman._

_Michelle Garcia._

_James Jefferson._

_Jessika Moning._

_Marie Smiths._

_Henry Davis._

_Andrew Brown._

Harry nodded as he looked at all of them sitting in the conference room. A few of them looked nervous, after being brought up to date on Fyrefox; a few even looked downright terrified, being their first assignment with the famous Harry Potter. Harry rolled his eyes after Sharp had pointed that out. He shot the man a glare which turned into a frown as he caught sight of him whispering something into Jack's ear. Harry watched them for a moment; Jack chuckled and Harry's eyes widened when he caught sight of Jack's hand disappear under the table. Were they…? He stared silently until Sharp looked up and caught his gaze. Surprisingly, Sharp's face flushed as he pulled away from Jack, who looked over to see Harry watching. He watched Harry for a moment.

Harry figured he was probably waiting for him to say something or show a disgusted face. Harry shook his head. Who was he to judge someone? He shrugged to Jack. Jack snorted, shaking his head.

"Figured," he mumbled but Harry heard.

"Are you going to start anytime soon, Harry? I'm supposed to meet 'Mione for lunch." Ron spoke up and the group laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll start now," he started with a slight smile on his face. And for the next hour, the twelve discussed the best option to catch Fyrefox at the Christmas Ball in Parkinson Manor. But Harry knew it would all be for naught. Since Ginny wouldn't be there. He'd make certain of it.

* * *

Ginny stepped out of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions with a smile on her face and a bag in her hand. She brought the bag to her chest and hugged it tightly. She was so very excited to wear it tonight. It was going to be amazing. Since waking up this morning, in Harry's arms, she thought with a smile, she had been thinking about tonight; if she should use a disguise or go as herself? It's not like anyone would know who she was.

Ginny kind of wanted to go as herself in the beautiful gown she bought for tonight. She'd look better as a redhead than a blond, brunette or a black-haired witch. Plus, she preferred being a redhead.

With that thought, she decided to head for the Leaky Cauldron to have some lunch. Maybe she'd sit at the bar and catch with Hannah. That brought a smile to her face as she stepped through the entrance to Diagon Alley and exited into the restaurant. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Ginny made her way to the bar and smiled wide when she caught sight of Hannah behind the bar, cleaning some glasses.

"Ginny!" The blond smiled. "Good afternoon, how are you doing?"

"Hullo, Hannah. I'm doing fine. Just a bit of early shopping," Ginny lifted her bag as proof.

"Oh, that's fantastic. I love to shop." Hannah slid a glass of Butterbeer in front of her.

"How's Neville?" Ginny asked.

"Neville's amazing," the blond gushed. "I'm so… I'm so happy." She smiled.

Ginny laughed. "That's amazing. When's the wedding?" She teased.

"Ginny! None of that!" Hannah blushed.

"Oh, Hannah, come on now. You love him, he loves you. What? Are you waiting for a little Longbottom before you two decided to tie the knot?" She continued to tease.

Hannah blushed bright red, "don't say that! Plus, you know Neville's Gran wouldn't allow that."

Ginny chuckled, "yes, I know. I'm sorry. I'll stop teasing you."

Hanna pushed a turkey and cheese sandwich in front of Ginny.

"Thank you," Ginny smiled as she took a bit.

Hannah nodded and leaned against the bar, watching Ginny silently for a second. Ginny knew she wanted to say something but was fighting herself about it. She wondered what was on the woman's mind. She guessed she was about to find out as Hannah sighed softly.

"Ginny, can I say something?"

"You're dating Neville; I like to think we're friends now. I don't have many of those, so, feel free to speak your mind." Ginny told her.

"Thank you." Hannah bit her bottom lip nervously. "You seem… happier, almost less… I don't know how to explain it. You almost seem lighter, if that makes sense." She said to her lightly.

Ginny leaned back with a shocked expression on her face.

"Yes, usually you have this dark aura around you and lately… you seem… I'm sorry, I'm not explaining this right." Hannah frowned.

"No, I understand," Ginny whispered to her.

Hannah watched her with serious eyes. "Does this have to do with – Harry!"

Ginny jumped, looking at Hannah to see her looking towards the entrance. Ginny followed her eyes to see Harry entering the Leaky Cauldron. He looked at Hannah then smiled when he saw Ginny sitting at the bar. He rushed over.

"Thank you, Merlin," he said softly and Ginny frowned. "I found you! We need to talk. Now," he grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the entrance of Diagon Alley.

"Wait, Harry! I have to pay –" she was saying as she grabbed her bag then shut up when Harry threw some money down on the bar for Hannah. "Oh, well, thank you, Hannah! See you later." She waved as Harry dragged her to the entrance of Diagon Alley. It was quiet. Harry tapped his wand against the wall and when it opened, he pulled her in.

"Harry, what's the hurry?" She asked.

"You need to stay away from –" he stopped himself when he caught sight of the bag in her hands, "Madam Malkin's?" His beautiful emerald green eyes widened as he looked back up at her. "Did you buy a gown for a special occasion?" His voice was low. It worried her.

"New robes for a job interview," she lied.

"Don't go to the ball tonight. Do you hear me? Don't go. Stay away." He told her.

"Harry, not this again." Ginny exhaled.

"No, you don't understand! There will be a dozen Aurors there, this time. This is way too dangerous this time. Stay away, I'm serious." He was desperate. Ginny could tell in his eyes.

"I'll go if I want, Harry." She told him stubbornly.

"No! Don't go. I love you and I can't bear the thought of you getting caught and ending up in Azkaban for Merlin only knows how long! Please, Ginny! Promise me." Harry grabbed her and shook her softly.

Her eyes widened at his declaration. He loved her. Harry _loved _her! She grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows of the entrance of Knockturn Alley. She pulled him close so she could look in his eyes better. He leaned down without question.

"Say it again," she whispered softly.

"I don't want you to –" he started to say but she shook him.

"No! Not that! The – the other thing…" she told him.

He looked at her oddly. "What other thing?" He asked her.

She frowned. The idiot hadn't even realized that he just said he –

"I love you." He told her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She looked into his eyes; that was the emotion she kept seeing in them. He loved her, truly loved her. It was all there, in his eyes. Her heart just about exploded in her chest. Harry James Potter _loved _her; he loved Ginny, even though she was a thief, even though he was after her. Sweet Merlin… he loved her.

Ginny grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her then pulled off his glasses and slipped them into her pocket. She knew he couldn't see her well, especially in the shadows but she was blushing so unattractively, she was sure and she didn't want his glasses to get in the way when she snogged the man senseless.

"Ginny…?" He asked nervously when she didn't say or do anything.

"I love you too, Harry." She admitted and slammed her lips against his.

It was if all the kisses before this one never happened. It was breathtaking, possessive, filled with the love they had hidden from each other from years. It was amazing, magnificent. Ginny couldn't think straight as his tongue caressed her own. She moaned softly, following his lips as he pulled away.

"Gin..." he closed his eyes.

"My flat, now," she ordered as she grabbed his arm and they side-apparated to her flat. As soon as they landed on her front doorstep, Ginny was in his arms. His hands were all over her, his hand in her hair, the other roaming her body as she opened the door and they stumbled through.

Harry pulled off her t-shirt, his hands touching her soft skin. Her eyes closed at the feeling as he kissed her, it was the most amazing thing.

"I love you," she whispered.

Those words were like electricity to him. He growled low in his throat and pulled her into his arms. He pretty much ran to her bedroom and before Ginny knew it, she was falling onto her bed. He crawled onto the bed and leaned above her.

"I love you too," he answered as he leaned down to kiss her. "Merlin, do I love you." He said in a deep, husky voice.

Ginny smiled as she reached up and yanked off his shirt and ran her fingers over his chest then leaned up to brush her lips against his chest. Harry shivered then grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head, holding her in place; he then forced his leg in between hers.

Ginny's eyes shut as he brushed his lips against her collarbone then kissed the spot where her bra strap was. Forcing both of her hands into one of his, he pushed her bra straps down her arms and kissed his way down her body.

"Harry…" she whimpered. "I need you, Harry."

It seemed that that was all he needed to hear because what happened next was something that was so amazing, so beautiful, so pleasure-filled like an explosion of emotion that was strong enough to knock them both off their feet and completely out of this world.

And as they laid in bed after, trying to catch their breath, Ginny cuddled up to him and he closed his eyes, deciding to catch a quick nap before he had to return to the office, he didn't realize that Ginny didn't promise a thing.

* * *

It was time for him to go but Harry didn't want to move. He held a sleeping Ginny in his arms and he didn't want to let her go. She was finally where he wanted her, where she belonged and he was reluctant to leave. Sigh, he started to untangle her from him and tried to sit up but the moment he did, Ginny moaned softly and cuddled closer to him. Harry stopped and looked down, groaning. Her naked body rubbed against his. It felt fantastic. Maybe, maybe he should just stay here and the others could all handle the Ball with incident. It's not like Fyrefox would be there. This was exactly the way to keep Ginny away, he thought as he leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against her collarbone. Her skin was so smooth. He started to pull down the covers to reveal her entire body and then groaned when he realized that he didn't have a choice. He was in charge of this job. He _had _to be there tonight.

With a deep sigh, Harry forced himself away from Ginny and out of bed. He dressed as he checked the time. It was a little after six p.m. He needed to get back now. He'd had to get his dress robes at the house quickly then he'd head over to the office.

So, one last glance at Ginny's naked body in her big comfy bed was all he allowed himself before he turned his back to it and left her bedroom, closing the door silently behind him. As he was passing through her living room, he caught sight of a stack of papers. He looked over, trying to catch a quick glimpse of them but didn't understand what they were for. Deciding that he was rudely snooping around, he turned away and left Ginny's flat. He'd be back later tonight, he told himself as he apparated to his home.

He'd done it. Ginny was safe at her flat and he was here at the Parkinson Christmas Ball. Now, no one in the world would suspect her; not that they ever did. And he'd like to keep it that way.

Harry passed by Ron, disguised as a brunette, standing with equally disguised Lydia Montgomery and Jessika Moning. All of the Aurors were here, hidden. The only two who weren't disguised were Harry and Jack. Jack hadn't needed to, considering no one really knew who he was. Harry had come in place of Kingsley. The Minister had been invited but figured it would be better for Harry to go; so, that was his excuse.

Harry had arrived half an hour after the ball had begun and already wanted to leave. Most of those in attendance were old Hogwarts students, mostly from the Slytherin House, and they watched him. Everywhere he went, they watched him; their eyes unable to hide their true feelings.

Harry sighed. He just wanted to leave and escape to Ginny's flat where he could bury himself in her warmth she provided. That thought brought a slight smile to his lips. Ginny; she was perfection to him. Yeah, maybe she was an infamous thief and she had robbed the Ministry. It was just a small… problem. But he figured he could fix that. He'd try to get her to stop. He wanted to be with her, forever. The serious, forever-and-ever, until death do us part kind of forever.

Harry stopped. He was thinking about marriage. He wanted to marry Ginny; to wake every morning to those bright brown eyes, her fiery hair spread across his bed and soft body pressed up against his.

Yes, that idea seemed perfect to him.

"We're about to make some rounds," Jack drew him from his thoughts.

Harry looked up and nodded. "After you and Sharp make your rounds, send Brown, Davis and Smiths after then Ron, Montgomery and Moning and last, Redman, Jefferson and Garcia. Keep making the rounds every half an hour. Report back to me. Someone different every time," he said before he turned away.

He stepped towards a table, to sit for a bit when a streak of white blond caught his attention. He looked towards the door to see Draco Malfoy step through. Harry groaned. He knew the man was going to be here but he'd hoped that he would be gone before Malfoy had shown up. Unfortunately, he seemed he was out of luck. Frowning, he noticed a woman on his arm but from his seat, towards the far end of the Parkinson ballroom, Malfoy covered her face. But Harry did notice that she had a beautiful body and red hair. The woman kind of reminded him of Ginny. She wore a beige, floor-length gown that fitted her body. The front hung low, falling just above her ribs showing quite a bit of cleavage; it had short sleeves and complimented her porcelain skin. Her red hair was pulled up in a messy bun, a few strands slipping to frame her face. The woman was a vision and he hadn't even seen her face.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Harry shook his head. Here he was, just thinking about proposing to Ginny and wanting to live with her but he was lusting after another woman. He was unbelievable; he disgusted himself.

He leaned back in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to get a hold of himself but then his eyes drifted towards the vision in beige. He watched as Malfoy lead her to a table. He still couldn't see her face because as she sat, Malfoy was standing in front of her. Harry sighed. The woman was beautiful. He wanted to see her face, wanted to see the entire package. And then Malfoy moved and Harry's heart just about stopped in his chest.

_Ginny_.

His eyes had to be playing some trick on him. Ginny couldn't be here. She shouldn't be here. He'd told her not to come because the place would be swimming with Aurors.

Damn, the bloody woman was stubborn.

His anger, fury filled him. He couldn't believe she just ignored what he said! What the hell is wrong with her? Growling, he got to his feet and marched his way over to her table since Malfoy had disappeared; every step he took, his temper building to an unbearable high. He could feel it crowding around him as if it were a barrier, surrounding him. He didn't see or hear anyone has he made his way towards her; he was on a mission. He needed to have a nice, innocent little chat with Ginevra Molly Weasley.

* * *

Ugh.

Ginny hated the stuffy air that filled the ballroom. This was an event all about money, _pure blood _and connections. Dirty, dirty, dirty but the perfect place for someone like her; Ginny thought as she leaned back in chair and crossed her legs. She wished she could steal from everyone in this room and not just from Pansy Parkinson.

Rich bunch of bloody –

"What are you doing here?" A voice hissed and she looked up to see Harry Potter glaring down at her.

She sighed. "Good evening, Harry."

"You promised you wouldn't –" he started but she cut him off.

"No, I did not." She shook her head.

He glared at her. "I told you not to come here."

Ginny looked around trying to catch sight of Draco in the crowd but she couldn't find him. She just wanted to get the damn Black locket and give to Draco then go home. Maybe fool around with Harry, she thought with a smile. Making love with him had been an adventure. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She wanted to do it again. When she had woken up earlier, she wanted to give it another go but he had been gone already; off to prepare for the ball with his group of Aurors.

"Are you listening to me?" He growled.

"Harry, go away. You'll draw unwanted attention to me. Like you, I'm here on business." She muttered as she looked around.

"Business involving Malfoy? I told you, Ginny. Being involved with him is bad. Go home before anyone else recognizes you." He told her. "And Ron is here. He'll want to know why you're here. He said that he hadn't seen you in awhile. He's worried about you, too." He frowned.

"Ron's here?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes, he's here." He frowned.

"Where?" She asked as she tried to find him.

"You won't be able to find him." He told her cryptically.

Ginny frowned. How could she not recognize one of her brothers?

"It doesn't matter, go home, Ginny. This is a bad idea." Harry told her.

Those words were what did it. Yes, she loved Harry but she would _not _allow anyone to tell her what to do. She was her own person, she was independent. She didn't need someone ordering her around.

Ginny glared at him. "No," she said in a cold voice, got to her feet, walking past Harry and left the ballroom without looking back. She had business to do and no one was going to stop her.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**:

Harry watched Ginny disappear out the ballroom and if anything, felt his temper rise. She was one stubborn little witch! Talking to her hadn't helped one bit but everyone had been right and he wonder what she was after. Wondered what the Parkinson family had that Ginny wanted and how Malfoy fit into it all. She had said it was business. That helped simmer down his temper a bit but didn't dissolve it.

He should follow her, he realized. If any of the Aurors found her doing something inappropriate, she would be arrested and questioned merciless. He couldn't have that. He would get to her and take her back to her flat and make endless love to her. That should keep her busy and out of the way all night. Yes, he'd do that.

So, he made his way to the entrance of the ballroom and bumped into Ron, who kept looking back with an odd expression on his disguised face.

"What happened?" Harry asked as Ron came in with Montgomery and Moning, immediately in Auror mode. Ron's expression was worrying him.

"I just saw…" he frowned, shook his head then looked at Harry, "was that…what the hell is Ginny doing?" He asked in confusion, obviously realizing that that had been his younger sister passing by him outside the ballroom.

Harry sighed. This was exactly what he had been telling her. She walked right by him and hadn't recognized him but Ron recognized her. Damn, she never listened. Stubborn woman, he thought with anger, why couldn't she just listen to him? Why couldn't she just see what he was telling her supposed to help her? He wanted to kick something; hard.

"I reckon she's leaving," Harry lied.

"What is she even doing here?" Ron asked his eyebrows furrowed.

Harry shrugged. He just wanted Ron to go away so that he could catch up to Ginny and get her away from her; preferably to a soft surface where he could -

"Did she come here to see you?" Ron asked cutting him off from his rated-R thoughts.

Harry looked up to see Montgomery and Moning make their way to Redman, Jefferson and Garcia to let them know they were up for rounds.

Harry wished she was, he almost snorted at Ron's comment. She was here on business but he couldn't tell Ron that. "No, she's not here for me." He said instead as he ran his fingers through his hair. Go away, Ron; he growled mentally.

"Well, then, who did she come with? The Parkinsons aren't on friendly terms with the Weasleys; not now, not ever. They didn't invite her." He told Harry as if the man didn't already know.

Of course Harry knew that! He'd been friends with the Weasley since he was eleven years old. Sometimes, Ron could be so forgetful; Harry thought with a frown.

Harry then simply shrugged as he looked around and away from Ron. He caught sight of all the people in the ballroom. Some were sitting at the round tables drinking and eating while others danced but most stood around the ballroom talking. They seemed to be enjoying themselves; he realized but all he wanted to do was go.

So, he turned to Ron, "I'm going to do some rounds as well. I'll be back," and left before Ron could ask anything more pertaining to Ginny.

Once Harry stepped into the hall, Ginny was nowhere to be found. He groaned and set off in search of her.

* * *

She lost him, Ginny realized with a sigh. With that realization, she smiled. As she climbed up the empty steps to the second floor of the Parkinson Manor she remembered the group of three she passed; two women, a brunette and a blond, and a dark haired male. He was looking at her oddly. Ginny wondered what he was looking at. She didn't recognize him and she didn't think there was anything weird about her; she actually knew she looked good. She didn't know what to think so decided that she wouldn't think about it anymore.

She had something important to do.

Lucky for Ginny, everyone was enjoying the Christmas Ball in the ballroom, so there wasn't anyone standing around to watch or catch her snooping around. She turned right, passed the master bedroom and continued down multiple doors until she spotted the one she needed. This was it; the end to the goddamn job and then she could get Draco off her back.

Ginny smiled as she looked both ways down the hallway. It was empty, so she turned the nod and rushed into the room, shutting it quietly behind her.

Once inside the room, she paused to look around in the dark. She pulled out her wand and muttered softly, "_Lumos!"_ and the light at the tip of her wand lit up the room. Ginny hadn't realized any detail in the room before when she had been in the room with Harry; now, she took it in with shock.

First off, the room was huge, bigger than her bedroom and living room together. There was a huge four poster bed, a black canopy included; matching black sheets, looked like silk to her eyes. There were two nightstands on either side of the bed, with two lamps on them. The walls were a dark green, similar to the green for the Slytherin house; an antique desk under a window, a six-foot mirror leaning against another wall and the massive fireplace that she had escaped through last time. It was a very cold, plain, and professional bedroom. She didn't like it, really.

Anyway, Ginny looked around, sorting through dozens of drawers and nothing; she kneeled in front of the desk drawers the slammed them closed and pounded hard against the top when the search came up empty.

"Bloody hell," she cursed as ran her over her face.

She stood up again and walked to the first door. She pushed it open to show the bathroom. It was twice the size of her bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, a shower with glass doors, a toilet, and a sink. Ginny went through every drawer and cabinet but all she found was makeup, towels and hair products.

Again, nothing.

Ginny sighed in annoyance as she got to her feet and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress. Where the hell did Pansy Parkinson leave the bloody thing?

She stepped out of the bathroom and her eyes zeroed in on the only other door in the room. Ginny walked over and pushed open the door to the walk-in closet; two sides of the four walls were filled with expensive clothing, gowns, and robes while the far wall held a dresser filled with undergarments. The wall where the door was had shelves of shoes.

Once again, nothing.

Growling, Ginny took a step back and frowned.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She hissed.

This was ridiculous! The Black locket must be in her parents' bedroom; if not in there, then Merlin, it could be anywhere in the bloody manor! She didn't have the time to go searching through all of the rooms in this place.

"There's no other way," she mumbled.

With a sigh, she turned around to leave the room when she caught sight of a robe sticking out amongst the others. She stopped, a frown on her face, as she leaned forward to look at it. With a shock, she found it. If the robe hadn't been sticking out, she would have missed it; missed the little lever behind it. Ginny's eyebrows rose as she pushed aside the robe and eyed the lever. It surprised her as she lifted the lever and with that, silently, the entire wall behind the dresser slid out of sight to show a room about the size of the closet.

It was such a muggle thing that for a moment, Ginny simply stared.

That was until something sparkled in the dark room. So, Ginny stepped into the room and it filled with light. She looked around, her eyes widening, mouth opening. The far side wall was a complete mirror. She had never seen anything like it. Well, truthfully, she had never seen anything like this room. It was amazing and her thief-feelings were out of control as she looked at all of the jewelry; the diamonds, the emeralds, the rubies, etc. Her hands were itching to just take _everything_! The two side walls were shelves with clear glass filled any and every sort of jewelry. It was breathtaking to see. Ginny's eyes took in everything and then landed on the lone podium in front of the mirror. She walked towards it, as if a string was pulling her to it. It was a lush, red pillow and on it was exactly what she had come for.

_The Black Locket_.

Looking at it in person and seeing it in the photo were two very different things. The locket, made of white gold and decorated with diamonds, sparkled before her eyes. She reached for it and rubbed her thumb against the locket. It was beautiful. It outshined all the other jewelry in the room, completely captivating her attention.

Maybe, after she had the locket, she'd grab all the other items and take them home. Then later, she'd sell them down in Knockturn Alley and make some money to better her future with Harry.

Ginny's eyes widened at that thought. _Future with Harry? _Where had that come from? Well, she guessed since she loved Harry, she'd stay with him. Guess, she also forgave him too… she thought to herself and realized she did. But unfortunately, Harry still worked for the Ministry. She didn't forgive _them _yet. She'd keep the Gold Unicorn Horn forever and never tell a soul. It was all hers and would stay as the golden vase so no one would ever suspect it. Yes, it made perfect sense, she thought with a smile.

"You know what; maybe I'll keep the Black Locket." She whispered to herself. Draco liked to think he was so high and mighty. She'd keep the Black Locket and disappear with Harry. Draco would never get it back.

As she thought that, a small noise came from behind her. She froze again and before she could turn around, a voice called out: "_Stupefy!" _and then she knew no more.

* * *

Of course, Ginny was nowhere to be found when Harry began his search. He had searched every nook and cranny of the first floor but there was no sight of the redhead. He had had a hunch that he wouldn't find her in any of those places but he still had to check. Now that he hadn't found her, he knew where she would be. With a sigh, Harry headed towards the stairs that would lead to the second floor.

As he mounted them, he caught sight of a slightly ajar door a few feet from the left side of the stairs. He frowned as he stepped down and inched towards the door. He hadn't checked in there and even though he had a feeling she wouldn't be in there, he had to look.

"Damn you, Ginny," he grumbled under his breath.

He started to reach up and push open the door when he heard hushed whispers from within. He frowned and leaned against the wall, peeking in. What he saw made him frown; there was a woman dressed in a strapless, dark green floor length gown standing in the middle of the room. Her long black hair was pulled back into a complicated bun and her back was to him but she turned to begin pacing; she seemed restless. Since he heard the hushed whispers, he figured there were two people in the room but he couldn't see the other. He wondered what was going on and listened better as the woman began to speaking to speak again.

"Why must we do this now? The Ball is in full swing." She asked, it sounded as if she was pouting.

"Pansy, there is no need for you to complain." The other explained.

Harry didn't recognize the other's voice except that it was a man but there was only one person named Pansy that he knew; Pansy Parkinson, the only daughter of the Parkinson family. Harry sighed quietly as he looked in again, trying to see the man but he had no luck. He must be sitting or stand against the same wall Harry was leaning against.

"But –" she started but the man cut her off.

"Don't say my name. You don't know if anyone is listening." He said.

Harry frowned. Did the man know he was there? He shook his head, the man couldn't; he was probably just being cautious. Harry pushed that thought aside and strained his ears to hear more.

"It is safe." The man said.

"The Black locket is safe from her." Pansy agreed with him.

_The Black locket_; Harry's eyes narrowed as the name Pansy said pulled on a memory, one of him leaving Ginny's flat earlier. The stack of papers he had seen in her living room; one of them had been a sketch of a locket that looked as if it was made of diamonds. The name _Black locket _was written above the picture. Why did she have that? And why were Pansy and this man talking about it? He wondered than realized what Parkinson had said that it was safe from _her_.

"Ginny…" he whispered.

"Fyrefox tried to steal it, didn't she? Is it safe?" Pansy asked.

"Of course it is. Here," the man said and Harry tried to see but Pansy walked out of Harry's sight. "And yes, she tried to steal it. So, I've given you Fyrefox. Has she been taken care of?" He asked.

"Yes," Pansy answered.

_Taken care of?_ His heart dropped at that thought. Ginny had been taken care of? No, Ginny couldn't be… no, he couldn't think like that.

He needed to find her, now. Ginny, oh Merlin, she could be… _no_. He shook his head as he leaned against wall; his legs were numb, his throat dry as the desert, goose bumps covered his skin. He was filled with fear, his eyes widened as he thought the worst.

They didn't mean Ginny was dead, right?

Harry didn't allow that thought to flourish in his mind. He pushed himself away from the wall and was just about to leave when he heard footsteps coming from the room and they were heading towards the door. Harry quickly muttered the disillusionment charm, twirling his wand around himself and watching the blue light engulf him. Truthfully, he hated using this charm because he had his invisibility cloak but he had no choice now since he hadn't brought it with him, Harry realized as the doorknob to the room turned and Parkinson came through the door, followed by the man; Harry's eyes widened as he took in the man. The two of them left the room and disappeared down a hallway to the right side of the manor.

Harry watched them go.

"Crap," he cursed as he rushed into the ballroom, hoping Ginny had returned from whatever she had been doing. She just had to be in there. She just had to be. He had to find her.

He stepped into the ballroom and was completely overwhelmed by colors; gowns, robes, decorations, etc. It was too much and for a moment, Harry was blinded by it. He looked around, forcing his eyes to adjust and find the one woman he needed. She should stand out, being that her dress was beige but he couldn't find her. He walked quickly around the ballroom, searching, searching, and frantically searching some more.

But absolutely nothing…

He couldn't find her; his heart dropped. He looked around again, panic rising as it started to sink in. Ginny was in trouble, he just knew it.

"Bloody hell," he cursed again as he looked around.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Ron asked.

Harry looked up at the man and almost cursed again. Ron was the last person he wanted to see right now. He needed to go. He needed to find those two. They'd lead him to Ginny.

"Have you spotted Fyrefox? Ron asked as he looked around at all of the people standing around.

"Search for Pansy Parkinson. She might know something about the item Fyrefox is searching for." He said as he turned his back and rushed out of the ballroom as Ron went to pass around his instructions.

Harry needed to hurry. Ginny needed him.

* * *

Chains.

She was bound by chains, Ginny realized as she came to and opened her eyes. Pulling on them, she tried to think of a way to get them off. Whoever attacked her had taken her wand. Damn, she wished she had a bobby pin or something to pick the locks on the chain. Unfortunately, her tools were in her room back at the flat. She should have snuck them in with her. You never knew when you'd need them, like right about now.

Sighing, she looked around. Her heart beat spiked as she stared into the darkness surrounding her; she bit her lip as she heard the water dripping against the pavement a few feet away from where she was bound, on a chair in the center. It seemed she was in a cell, in a dungeon; most likely in the Parkinson Manor, or so she thought.

Merlin only knew where the hell she was.

Cursing, she yanked on the chains again; struggling against them to break free. She needed to get away, quickly. Maybe if she got away she could find Harry and she could sic the Aurors that she, an _innocent _witch, was being held against her will; they didn't have to know she was Fyrefox, she wouldn't tell them.

"There's no point, little Weasel. You can't break free." A voice came from the darkness in front of her.

Ginny looked up and away from her chains to see Pansy Parkinson stepping out of the darkness, dressed in a strapless, dark green gown; she crossed her arms, her dark eyes burning with anger and the Black locket around her neck.

Ginny frowned at the sight of the locket around Parkinson's skinny neck. She bit her lip harder to keep from groaning in disbelief. She had to get free, somehow disable Parkinson and then steal the Black locket. She could do it, she knew she could.

"Thank you for bringing the Black locket to me. I was having some trouble finding it." Ginny smirked. "It will make this job even easier."

Parkinson's dark eyes narrowed and she stomped forward, her heels clicking as she drew nearer. Ginny waited for her to spit out angry, aggressive, and painless words but she didn't do that.

Pansy Parkinson lifted her right hand and slapped Ginny across the face.

Ginny's eyes shut as the pain vibrated from her left cheek to every spot throughout her head.

"That was for breaking into my house."

Ginny righted herself and looked up at Parkinson with dark, dangerous eyes.

Parkinson stared back then she lifted her right hand again and backhanded her across her right cheek.

"That is for trying to steal from me."

Ginny's right cheek stung from the hit, both of her cheeks actually did. And with the pain came the anger, the fury. She looked at the woman once again.

Parkinson ignored the look and lifted her hand once again; slapping Ginny once again across her left cheek; forcing Ginny's face to the side and drawing blood on her lip. Ginny took a deep breath then slowly licked the blood forming on the corner of her mouth. She turned back to look at Parkinson who took a step closer and grabbed Ginny roughly by the chin. Ginny tried to pull back and cursed when the woman's black nails dug into her skin, forcing Ginny to look in her eyes.

"And that was for trying to steal the Black locket that my beloved fiancée gave to me."

Ginny's eyes widened as Parkinson released her and took a step back.

Fiancée? _Beloved_ fiancée...? But it belonged to...

"But the Ministry had confiscated it and sold it to the Parkinson family. I saw the paperwork myself." Ginny told her disbelief.

It couldn't be that... no, that was impossible. Her mind rejected even thinking it.

"No, that's impossible..." she glared at Parkinson but her eyes widened, her heart freezing in her chest as the distinct chuckle filled the cell.

Ginny watched as Draco stepped out of the shadows and into the little light in the cell. His infamous smirk on his face, his silvery - gray eyes daring her to look into them. Ginny turned away, she didn't like the way she felt when she gazed into those stormy eyes.

"I planted that information, Ginny." He snorted. "Why won't you look at me? Afraid of the attraction you feel for me?" He asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

"Draco!" Pansy complained.

Draco chuckled deeply as Ginny saw him, from the corner of her eye, turned away from her and brushed Parkinson's cheek affectionately. "Pansy, love, you know you're the only one for me."

Parkinson beamed with attention. It was truly sickening for Ginny to watch.

"Anyways, as I was saying, I planted all of that information: the robbery, the men in Knockturn Alley and the paperwork in the Ministry. All of it." Draco continued with a proud grin.

"How…? Why?" Ginny asked. "I trusted you."

"You really should know already. Malfoys are not to be trusted." He smirked.

"Yes, I know that now." Ginny glared. "But why fake the robbery? Why pretend the locket was stolen?"

"Well, I gave it to Pansy as a gift before the wedding. It will be given to our daughter, one day." He said as he rubbed Parkinson's belly telling her that the woman was already pregnant.

He didn't truly answer her question but Ginny wanted to know something else.

"Then what was all that about trying to seduce me?" Ginny asked. It hadn't really worked... much. For some reason, whenever she looked into his eyes she felt... weird. She didn't like it.

"It wasn't part of the plan." Parkinson glared at Ginny. "And he hated it. He didn't want to. He just knew it would be the easiest way!"

Ginny's eyebrows shot up in amusement. She snorted as a sultry grin slipping onto her lips. "Is that what he told you?"

The little witch was lying to herself.

Parkinson hissed and jumped at her but Draco caught her around the waist and pulled her back. "Don't let her get to you."

Ginny saw a way now. "Did you know he called you a pug nosed bitch? And that's verbatim, _Pansy, my love_." She mimicked Draco's words with a smirked. "It must be true love, no?" She taunted and it worked.

"You little, Mudblood loving bitch, I'll kill you!" Parkinson started in on her again but Draco had had enough.

"Pansy, you will stop!" He hissed.

"Anyway," Ginny shrugged nonchalantly, "it didn't work." Much, she added in her mind. Something about Draco's eyes, somehow, always made her want to… she didn't even know what to think about it. She had Harry.

"Yes, even with the charm I gave him." Pansy mumbled.

"The charm you gave him? What charm?" Ginny felt her stomach drop.

"I gave him a charm that when placed on someone, the next person to look in their eyes will fall deeply in love with them. Or deeply in lust, if the target is already in love," Parkinson explained and all the feelings and urges made sense. She shot a look at Draco who had an odd expression on his face.

"That explains a lot." She muttered as something inside of her sighed with relief. She'd been so worried that she had such inexplicable urges when it came to Draco even though she _always _loved Harry. It hadn't made any sense to her, it made her feel unworthy, as if something hadn't been right. Now, she finally understood.

With a sigh, she leaned back on the chair, the chains rattling as they slid on the floor.

"Enough," Draco hissed as he crossed his arms and looked at her. "It's time to get this over with."

"Get what over with? What the hell is going on? What was this all about? How did you even know I was Fyrefox?" Ginny growled. She wanted answers and she was going to get them if it was the last thing she did which it looked like it would.

**Answers, ah, answers would be great, wouldn't it? lol well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Just wanted to let you know, this story is drawing to an end. There is chapter fourteen, fifteen and then the epilogue! :)**

**~ Emmalee 3**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**:

It was no good, bloody hell; he had been searching for Ginny for fifteen minutes. He couldn't find her anywhere; not upstairs where he thought she would be, in Pansy Parkinson's room or anywhere else. She was gone, disappeared. He wondered if maybe what he had heard had been a lie and Ginny had actually gotten away.

"Potter," he looked up to see Sharp rushing over to him. He nodded as the man caught up to him. "Weasley told me to tell you the Pansy Parkinson is nowhere to be found. We've been looking all over for her. Neither her parents nor the other guests seem to know where she or her fiancé are."

"Fiancé…? Who is her fiancé?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It seems that it's Draco Malfoy," Sharp explained.

Harry crossed his arms as he looked at Sharp. The man was watching him, his green eyes waiting for some sort of command.

It made sense that Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy were engaged. It explained a lot; why Malfoy had come out of the room with Parkinson. But he didn't understand why Malfoy was always hitting on Ginny. Did Malfoy fancy her? He didn't like that idea, not in the least. Well, you could _never _trust a Malfoy, that's for sure.

"What do we do now?" Sharp asked when Harry didn't say anything.

"Keep searching. We must find Parkinson, Malfoy or Fyrefox. Keep looking so send some of the Aurors to search the grounds and others to keep searching the Manor," he instructed as he turned away and headed down the stairs.

"Where are you, Ginny?" He whispered as he hurried down the stairs.

As he stepped off the stairs and started to make his way to the ballroom, he caught sight of something odd. He stopped walking, looked both ways and then walked straight to it. There was a strange shadow on a wall that held the double P's of the Parkinson crest and a five feet by five feet mirror. A shadow where there shouldn't be. It seemed as if the shadow was coming from nowhere. It was…

A secret door!

Harry realized it was a secret door when he stopped in front of the wall and ran his fingers over the shadow. As he stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself, his hand touching the shadow, a weak, cold and wet breeze brushed against his fingers. He seemed that whoever rushed through hadn't closed the door completely.

Curious, Harry pushed it open a little more then slid through, closing it behind him. He didn't know where it would lead him and if it led him to Ginny, he wouldn't want any other Aurors finding her and asking questions, or worse, if it led to enemies, well, he didn't want more coming from behind him.

Harry stepped into a dark, small enclosed area; stone surrounded him. It was very narrow, maybe as wide as two of him walking side by side. He reached out and ran his right hand against the stone. It was cold and wet under his fingers. Frowning, Harry whispered "_lumos_" and the light lit up the little space around him. He followed the pathway, quietly, until he came upon a set of stone steps. He quietly descended, listening for the slightest noise. Harry froze when he started to hear soft voices, more than one. He got to the last step and looked to see a door. With a small push, he opened the door just enough that he could slip through; the voices became louder.

He entered another stone hallway about twenty feet long, ten feet wide with ten wooden doors, five on each wall; small windows on each door.

Harry was in the dungeons within Parkinson Manor.

It seemed as if the voices he had heard were coming from the other end of the hallway, so that was where Harry needed to go. He set forth and as he passed the other doors, he looked in through the small windows to find them empty. It unnerved him, with every door he passed and the voices becoming louder; two women and a man.

Harry reached the end of the hallway and turned towards the door on the right.

"Get what over with? What the hell is going on? What was this all about? How did you even know I was Fyrefox?" Harry froze as her voice hit him.

_Ginny_.

He looked through the small window to see both Parkinson and Malfoy standing with their backs to the door. A little space between them showed him Ginny, her cheek red and bruise, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth; her bright brown eyes filled with fury and determination. She was mad. Good, he thought as he watched her; her fiery hair spilling from her hairdo and onto her shoulders, red and beige. It was a beautiful and daunting sight, the bruising, the blood, the anger.

He pushed open the door slightly and quietly as Malfoy took a step towards Ginny, his arms crossed.

"About a year ago, when you were stealing the _Flint tiara _from their estate, I happened to be passing. I caught sight of you disapparating from there. Later that evening, I heard that the tiara had been stolen and that Fyrefox had been involved." Malfoy explained. "I reckon putting the pieces together would get me an interesting thing and it most certainly did."

Harry could hear the smirk in his voice. His tone annoyed the crap out of Harry. Maybe he'd just rush in and curse the bastard, he thought but knew he couldn't; the chance that either of them would hurt Ginny prevented him. So, he leaned forward and listened, waiting for the perfect time.

"So, why didn't you come forth with the information earlier?" Ginny asked.

"I was waiting for the perfect moment and low and behold, it finally arrived." Malfoy slipped his arm around Parkinson then continued, "First, I was going to have you arrested when you were caught stealing the Black locket the other day but somehow you got away. How did that happen? I've been wondering. Did St. Potter help you? You know, that's not a good relationship. He's an Auror, you're a thief. The Ministry always comes first, you should know that." Malfoy shook his head.

Harry froze as Malfoy's words hit him. Was that how everyone saw him? Putting the Ministry before everything? They were right, though. He had constantly put others before himself; since he was eleven years old, no, before that. But he had done his duty to the Wizarding world. Now, now it was time to put himself over the Ministry and definitely put Ginny over them. What he now realized, though, was that he had been putting Ginny over the Ministry since he found out she was Fyrefox.

"Harry and I are _none _of your business." Ginny spat then licked the side of her mouth.

Harry almost smiled at those familiar words. She had told him that a time or two pertaining to Malfoy. It was interesting to hear her say that to someone else.

Malfoy seemed to ignore her, "Well, anyway, as I was saying, you were to be arrested and you and Scar head would have been kept away from each other by the Ministry and Azkaban walls." He told her.

"What does Harry have to do with this?" She growled.

"Are you really that stupid?" Parkinson hissed. "One would think you were smarter than this, Weasel."

"Listen, you crazy bitch, I have had enough of you. Talk to me like that one more time and I swear to Merlin, you will regret it when I get out of these chains." Ginny said her voice dreadfully calm, like the calm before a storm. It was frightening to hear.

Harry took a deep breath and forced his pounding heart to relax.

"How dare you talk to me like –" Parkinson hissed but Malfoy jumped in.

"Pansy, if you keep this up, I will send you away and finish everything on my own. Do you understand?" He asked her.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Draco." She apologized then leaned towards him and gave him a small kiss.

"Good," he nodded then turned to look at Ginny. "It's taken a while but I am finally going to best the _famous _Harry Potter. This is payback for arresting Father after the Final Battle at Hogwarts; honestly, I didn't care much about Father rotting away in Azkaban but Mother… she was depressed, heartbroken being away from the love of her life that she started to grow ill and then eventually died. It has taken some time like I said but now; he will get what has been coming to him for so very long. Sadly, you have been dragged into this but it's what must be done."

Harry's eyebrows narrowed. This was all because of him? Ginny has been dragged into this because of him.

"That doesn't bother you in the least. You're truly happy that I've been involved; just another blood traitor, Mudblood loving witch, right?" Ginny snorted. "How did you know about Harry and me? He didn't know, I didn't even know. No one knows. We ended badly all those years ago." She frowned.

She was right, Harry realized. There was no one who could have guessed something like this would happen. Running his fingers through his hair, he figured that he wasn't going to like Malfoy's answer. And he didn't.

"I've watched you. You two are quite the loving couple, aren't you? Dinner, snogging sessions and then shagging like beasts? Would anyone do?" Malfoy jeered.

Harry clenched his teeth to keep from jumping through the door and killing Malfoy. Forget cursing, no, that wouldn't do enough damage. Just kill the bloody bastard and finish all of this. But Malfoy wasn't done, it seemed.

"Well, no worries, Ginny. Originally, getting you arrested and thrown in Azkaban would have been enough. You both would have suffered. It would have been great but now, I no longer like that idea." He said.

"My, my, aren't you talkative," Ginny muttered through clenched teeth.

Harry had to agree. Malfoy didn't usually talk this much. And now he could tell that Malfoy was getting on Ginny's nerves. Harry had to get in there and take call of all this. He needed to save her.

"Don't interrupt." Malfoy hissed then sighed. "Harry loves you. What an _odd _emotion to have for someone." He snorted, "Well, he loves you and I can understand it a bit. You're an interesting witch. So, now, instead of having you arrested where you could tell the Aurors all sorts of lies about Pansy and myself, I'm just going to have to kill you and end it all. And with that, Harry would die inside, now wouldn't he?" As the words left his mouth, Malfoy started laughing, Parkinson followed in.

Harry couldn't believe it as he looked into the room. Ginny was glaring at Malfoy and Parkinson with that dangerous gleam in her eyes.

Oh, Merlin, it was time now before things got out of control and Ginny would get hurt. Yes, definitely, now was the time.

* * *

This was it.

Ginny watched as Draco lifted his wand and pointed it at her chest. She was going to die, here, alone with Draco and stupid, pug nosed Pansy Parkinson. Merlin only knew what they would do with her body once they were finished with it. Harry would never know what really happened to her.

Harry!

Ginny would never get to tell him she loved him one more time. And she did, Merlin, she loved him so bloody much. She wanted to marry him, make love to him every day for the rest of her life, have half a dozen kids like her parents did, get a boring mundane job and go to stupid Ministry events. That's exactly what she wanted. She'd do anything, as long as she was with him. Dammit, she cursed.

The wand was pointed at her chest. This was it. Over and done, her life was over at barely twenty-two years old and truthfully, Ginny had finally started to feel like she was _really _living. She'd finally gotten Harry back in her life and now, she'd lose him, again. Well, not really, he was losing her and he'd blame himself. Poor Harry, this would really kill him.

"Are you ready to meet your maker?" Parkinson's voice rang out and Ginny shot her a glare.

The stupid woman had been watching too many muggle films. Meet her maker? How ridiculous is that? Anyway, Ginny shook her head, took a deep breath and looked Draco in the eye.

"It's a shame, really, that you have to die. It's been a great time, Ginny. Wish it didn't have to be this way." He sighed dramatically.

Ginny almost rolled her eyes. "Just get it over with, Malfoy." She spat.

"If you say so," he smirked and pressed the tip of his wand to her chest.

Ginny closed her eyes, an image of a smiling Harry lying next to her on her bed, his emerald green eyes sparkling through his glasses. It was a beautiful image and one she would take with her to the other side. She loved him and she would love him on the other side with his parents and his family and those they had lost.

Suddenly, the door behind Draco and Parkinson burst open. Since it was in the shadows, she couldn't see who it was, only that Draco and Parkinson turned quickly, wands pointed at whoever it was. But then Parkinson screamed; one arm wrapped around her abdomen, the other holding her wand at the person. Ginny looked to see Draco engulfed in ropes, binding him and knocking him to the floor.

"Watch out!" Ginny cried to whoever it was as Parkinson started to say a spell.

And instantly, she was wrapped in ropes, the same as Draco and falling to the floor. Both of their wands falling to the floor and out of reach.

For a second, Ginny just stared at the two of them in shock.

"Damn you, Potter!" Draco cursed as he struggled against the ropes.

"How dare you –" Parkinson started in on him too but they both suddenly became silent.

Harry! Ginny's heart almost stopped in her chest. Harry was here!

Harry rushed into the little of light in the room and Ginny smiled, "Harry!" She cried happily.

He immediately unlocked her chains and pulled her into his arms.

"Oh, Harry –" she started to say but his lips were on hers and she was pulled into him. Harry, the love of her life; Harry, who she thought she'd never see again.

His fingers were in her hair, on her face, all over her body; touching her, caressing her, showing her how much he loved her.

"I love you, Harry. I love you so much." She pulled back again told him. Remembering how sad she had been when she thought she'd never get to tell him again. He needed to know and she would tell him forever.

"I love you, too." He told her then kissed her again, devouring her. It was a desperate kiss. It was the thank-you-Merlin kiss. Harry pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. "I thought I lost you." He whispered, his eyes closed and his voice deep with emotion.

"You almost did." She told him as she pulled him to her and kissed his lips lightly. "You almost did. Thank you for saving me…" she looked up into his emerald eyes through his lenses, "again." She smiled.

"I'll always be there to save you, Ginny. Always," he told her as he grabbed her forearms and lifted her off the ground so that he could look into her eyes without restrain. "Listen to me next time, please. I love you and I don't want you to get hurt. I almost lost you again and this time… this time I wouldn't have been able to get you back. I need you, do you hear me? I need you with me or else… there's nothing for me here, Ginny. You or there is no me. I need you." He told her.

Ginny's heart dropped to her stomach. She had been careless and she had almost killed the both. He was right. What if it would the roles had been reversed and Harry had almost died… Ginny couldn't even think about it. So, she nodded and said, "Yes, Harry, I understand." Then she threw her arms around his shoulders as he lowered her down the ground.

Harry sighed, "thank you, Merlin," then pulled away from her. "We'll finish this later. Let's clean this up." He told her as he stepped away her and bent down by the struggling Draco. He pulled something out of the blonde's pocket and handed it to her.

Ginny smiled gratefully as her wand slid into her fingers. She twirled it around her fingers as she walked over to the struggling Pansy Parkinson and stood above her. Parkinson fought harder, a panicked expression on her face as Ginny stared down at her.

"What did I tell you?" Ginny asked her.

Parkinson freaked, her mouth opened with silent screams.

"Ginny, that's not nice." Harry reprimanded her.

Ginny sighed, a frown pulling onto her lips. The stuck up witch should be killed but she'd never done that before and she really wasn't looking into getting any more trouble then she already could be in.

"Fine," she mumbled as she looked down at the woman. "_Stupefy!_"

Pansy Parkinson stopped struggling as she lost consciousness due to the stunning spell. Draco looked over at his fiancée and his face contorted in anger. He started yelling except only his mouth was moving, no noise came from it.

"Smart using the silencing charm," she told Harry with a smile.

Harry smiled back. "I heard everything the two of them said earlier and I was getting tired of his voice." He winked playfully.

"Thank Merlin! Me too," she chuckled as she stepped away from the stunned Parkinson and walked over to Draco. She knelt beside him. Draco struggled against his ropes and Ginny smirked. "Interesting turn of events, don't you think? That has to be some bad karma." She shook her head. "Well, I'll get to the point." She lifted her fist and punched him straight in the nose. Blood immediately began to gush from the wound. "Rot in Hell for lying to me, for using me, for trying to kill me, for trying to kill Harry. I want to kill you but I won't. It's probably best that you rot in Azkaban instead. Wouldn't it be interesting for not only your fiancée to be there but your child to be born there too?"

Draco's eyebrows narrowed as he glared at her.

Ginny didn't really notice as she got to her feet and turned to leave the dungeon, thinking Harry to follow her; except, Harry cleared his throat drawing her attention back to the dungeon. She frowned when she looked back at him and he was looking at her with an odd expression.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Er… aren't you forgetting something?" He asked instead of answering her.

"I don't – I don't think so." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Harry chuckled as he indicated to the unconscious Pansy Parkinson and the bleeding Draco Malfoy.

"I think I've done everything." She told him, shrugging. She still didn't understand what he was trying to say. She walked back and stood between the two bodies. She could feel Draco's glare burning her but she didn't pay him any mind. Harry was trying to tell her something.

"Ginny," he sighed as he righted his glasses, "When Parkinson comes to and the silencing charm is removed from Malfoy, they will tell everyone that _you _are Fyrefox." He explained.

Ginny frowned. Harry was right. Merlin, what would she do without him? Locked away in Azkaban forever, that's what would happen to her. She shook her head and sighed. She needed to fix this. She pointed her wand at Parkinson and called out, "_Obliviate!_" then turned over to Draco. "You won't remember any of this but sweet Merlin, I will. I will never forget how Harry bested you once again." She smiled widely.

"Ginny!" Harry snorted. "There _really _was no need to say that."

"Sorry," she looked at him and smiled. She turned back to Draco and placed the tip of her wand against his chest. "Déjà vu; don't you feel it too, Draco?" She asked, "Ah, almost. This was you only a little while ago. Well, yes, let's get this over with. _Obliviate!_" She said then watched as any recognition of her slip from his silvery-gray eyes.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**:

"Now, you have to get out of here." Harry told Ginny as she stepped away from Draco and towards him, a wicked smile pulling on her lips.

"What … but why?" She asked in confusion. "I don't want to leave you yet." She told him as she stepped into his arms and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Harry groaned. She was so distracting; making him want to just get her, run away to her flat and lose himself in her like she always seemed able to do to him. But unfortunately for him, he had to stay here, fix everything and won't be able to see her until later in the evening or maybe even early in the morning. Sighing, he caressed her cheek with tenderness.

"I need to call the Aurors down here." He told her, "And you can't be here for that. They can't know that you were even involved in this. No one must know who Fyrefox's real identity is." He explained as brushed his thumb over her bottom lip softly.

Ginny frowned and he could tell that she was contemplating disagreeing with him but finally he could see that she was going to listen to him; thankfully, he thought with a soft sigh.

Exhaling loudly, she nodded and started to step towards the door but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back into his arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. When he released her, she simply stood there for a second, eyes closed, cheeks flushed and her lips slightly apart.

Harry smiled at her. Merlin, she was absolutely beautiful. "I love you, Ginny." He whispered.

Her beautiful bright chocolate brown eyes opened and her smile took his breath away. "I love you, too." She replied.

"Use the disillusionment charm on your way out. It'll probably be best if no one, especially the Aurors, sees you come out of the dungeons." He told her as he ran his hands over her arms.

"Well, that's not necessary, right? I know most of them." She told him.

"Yes, you do but they're all disguised. Go with the disillusionment charm, trust me. Now, go. I've been gone far too long as it is. I have to check in with the others." He explained.

Ginny nodded, "alright, I'll do what you say." She smiled, leaned in to give him one more kiss. "I love you." She told him one more time and it made him smile widely; he would never get over hearing her say those three little words to him.

"I love you, too, Gin. Actually, go straight to your flat. I'll come over when I finish up here and with the paperwork. I'll see you then, promise." He whispered to her. She nodded, smiled then disappeared through the door, down the hallway, up the stairs and out the secret door on the first floor. Harry waited ten minutes then nodded to the two bodies, even though they didn't have a clue what was going on.

Harry left the dungeons and appeared outside the secret door. He looked both ways to see Ron, Sharp, Jack and Montgomery running towards him, frantic as they drew closer.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ron growled.

Harry noticed now that all their disguises were gone and they were all themselves once again. He held the secret door open and the four of them stared in shock.

"What's that?" Jack asked curiously.

"I have Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy down in the dungeons." He told them and the four stood there for a moment, just staring at him. "C'mon now, all of you, follow me." He told them. As they traveled down to the dungeons, he asked, "Where are the others?"

"They're patrolling the groups still searching for Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy, and also any sign of Fyrefox." Sharp explained.

Harry grinned as walked in front of them. They'd have their Fyrefox soon enough, he thought as he descended the stairs; and with this, everything would work itself out. He almost cried out with the happiness that filled him but he quieted that feeling deep within because no one knew better than him that surprises always popped up in the worst of times.

"Is it much further?" Montgomery asked nervously.

"No, not at all, it's just up here." He said as he began walking through the hallway, passing the doors and stopping at the last door on the right. "Here we are."

Harry pushed open the door and the four stared wide eyed at the two people tied up in rope, one with an alarmed expression on his face, the other unconscious.

"What happened?" Ron asked as he knelt before Malfoy. "Why's he so… afraid?" His eyebrows furrowed as he looked from Malfoy's petrified expression to Harry's slight grin.

"Finally caught him," Harry's grin grew.

He hated lying to them all but this was seriously for the best.

"Caught who?" Sharp asked.

"Draco Malfoy is Fyrefox. Well, he _was _Fyrefox. Not anymore though," he shook his head.

Suddenly, all of them were speaking at once.

"What do you mean not anymore?" Sharp asked.

"You caught Fyrefox? And it was Malfoy? Blimey, that's fantastic!" Ron grinned and clapped him on the back.

"Fyrefox was _this _guy?" Jack asked with surprise.

"It was Malfoy? Bloody hell, don't they ever give it a rest?" Montgomery shook her head and snorted.

Harry looked at each of them. The only one who seemed hesitant to believe him was Jack but the man didn't know Draco Malfoy, so that didn't truly bother him. He decided to just tell them what "happened" and then answer their questions.

"As I was doing my rounds, I saw Malfoy slip into this secret door. I had to follow him. I was told that he and his fiancée, the host of the Christmas Ball, were missing. So, I followed him here to this room where they were discussing Fyrefox's next assignment and that the Parkinson Manor and family being targets were only to draw the Aurors attention away from their real purpose. I didn't catch what it was. Unable to call for backup since I was in the dungeon, I jumped on the idea of catching the two of them." Harry paused to take a break and noticed that they weren't even looking at him but the two prisoners.

"Anyway, I burst in through the door. Malfoy, when he saw me, shot out the Obliviate spell, trying to erase my memories. Lucky for me, I was able to deflect it. Unfortunately for Parkinson, it rebounded on her and she fell to the ground. She's pregnant so we should really get her to St. Mungo's. Well, Malfoy had been a little upset that she had been hit and threw another one at me. I deflected it as well and it his him straight in the chest. His memory is gone." He finished explaining.

"Why are they bound if their memories had been erased?" Jack asked.

"Parkinson turned on me and tried to pluck my eyeballs out with her nails. Malfoy panicked and tried to run away. I had no choice. I stunned Parkinson as well. She's a feisty thing." He said as he stepped towards the dungeon doors.

"What now?" Ron asked.

Harry turned back and sighed, "First, these two need a little trip to St. Mungo's. Malfoy will be sent to Azkaban after he is examined and Parkinson will stay at St. Mungo's until she gives birth then she will be transferred there as well."

"This guy _is _the famous thief, Fyrefox?" Jack asked again drawing all of their attention. "He doesn't look like much, does he?"

"You don't know him." Ron glared at Malfoy. "He's an evil, son of a bitch and his father was Voldemort's number one follower. Plus, Malfoy is rotten to the core."

"His father almost killed Ron's younger sister," Sharp added.

"And Malfoy tried to kill Dumbledore." Montgomery added more.

"Dumbledore… you mean _the _Albus Dumbledore?" Jack asked in shock.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "Malfoy has done a lot of bad things."

He tried not to tell himself that he was making excuses for putting Malfoy away, falsely, for being Fyrefox but that he deserved it for all the terrible and hurtful things he has done and _was _going to do, like kill Ginny.

Jack nodded, "I wonder where he put the Golden Unicorn Horn. Did he tell you before his mind disappeared into oblivion?"

"No," Harry sighed, he really should have thought of something. "Well, let's get on the move. We should start forcing everyone to their respective homes. Once we're finished with that, these two will be transported and then everyone has to get on doing their paperwork, do you hear me?"

The four people groaned. Paperwork; no one like to do it but they didn't have a choice. Harry sighed as he turned his back on them and disappeared through the dungeon door and up the stairs back to the main floor at the house. As he slipped out of the secret door, he went off in search of the other Aurors. He found them after looking for ten minutes. They were separated into two groups of four. He gathered them around.

"Listen up, Fyrefox has been apprehended. Now, we must speak to Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson, considering their daughter was involved with Fyrefox. Have them send the guests home early. We have a lot of questions for them." And with that, he stepped away to the ballroom to make sure Ginny had listened to him.

* * *

Harry sighed as he leaned back in his chair and threw down his quill. He was finished! Thank Merlin, he thought as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was so bloody tired. He just wanted to go to Ginny's and crawl into bed. He was too tired even to move. He just wanted to cuddle up with her and fall asleep. He was certain he could sleep for two entire days. He felt as if he hadn't truly slept since he'd been given this assignment. But everything had worked out, it seemed.

Draco Malfoy had been arrested and would be in Azkaban for five years. Fyrefox had wronged the Ministry and its people for far too long.

Better him than Ginny, Harry told himself.

Pansy Parkinson would spend seven months in St. Mungo's until her child is born and then would be under house arrest for a year for being an accessory for the crimes Fyrefox committed. It seemed she had supplied him with a lot.

And the best part, neither of them remembered anything for the last six years. Both Parkinson and Malfoy had thought they were still six years back at Hogwarts. It seemed that the memory charm that Malfoy had chucked at him, not once but twice, was excessively strong. Harry and Ginny were just too lucky, he realized as he ran his fingers through his hair. He would be thankful, every day until forever; Harry told himself.

With those thoughts he started to get back to organizing the paperwork the other Aurors had brought with them when green flames appeared in his fireplace. Harry looked up to see Ginny Weasley step through them.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" He asked as he jumped to his feet and rushed to close the door.

Yes, he was being overly cautious but he didn't want anyone to overhear whatever was said. What if, either of them said something wrong and they were overheard? The entire case of Fyrefox would be reopened and Ginny would be arrested, him too, probably; he realized as he slid into his chair behind his desk and sighed.

"Go back to the flat. I just have to check everyone's paperwork and I'll be right over." He explained but she ignored him.

Ginny stepped right up to his desk and dropped the golden vase from her table. He frowned and looked up at her with confusion.

"Should I have given you flowers or something?" He asked.

Ginny rolled her eyes and took out her wand. She swished around the golden vase and Harry watched in silence as it transformed into the Golden Unicorn Horn. He simply stared at it in shock.

"Why are you bringing it back?" He asked softly.

Ginny looked at Harry for a moment and then sighed, "I don't hate the Ministry for taking you away anymore. I've got you back. The only reason I stole it in the first place was because they took you from me in the beginning." She explained.

But Harry wasn't really listening after her first sentence. He jumped over his desk and pulled her into his arms, slamming his lips against hers and kissing her passionately.

He leaned back for air and whispered against her ear, "I'm taking you home."

"Home?" She asked.

"Yes, to my home in Godric's Hollow." He told her as he grabbed her and they rushed out of his office, through the Ministry and out to the apparition spot. "Home," he pulled her close and they side-apparated.


	17. Epilgoue

Epilogue:

Ginny woke up, yawning as she stretched. She opened her eyes and for a second, she didn't recognize the bed or the room she was in. The room was dark, navy blue with white trim. The furniture was a dark mahogany color, matching four-poster bed, dresser and six-foot mirror. There was a huge fireplace with matching chairs and a coffee table in front of it. It was a very cozy master bedroom. There were also two doors which Ginny assumes led to a bathroom and a walk-in closet.

Ginny started to sit up when an arm tightened around her waist and heard someone groaned from behind her.

Her eyes dropped to her waist to see an arm with black hair pull her close. Her eyes widened when she felt the very _male _body behind her. She looked back to see Harry snuggling closer to her. That brought a smiled to her lips.

Harry.

He had taken her to his home last night, or well, early this morning when she had returned the Golden Unicorn Horn. He'd been pleasantly surprised and when they had arrived at his one story home, he'd immediately ushered her to the master bedroom, before she could really see his home, and made love to her, repeatedly, until way past dawn.

She looked up to his nightstand to see his magically clock. It said, "_It's way past time for you to be in bed! Get up!_" Ginny smiled and turned back to Harry and cuddled against him.

As she closed her eyes, she heard him sigh and whisper, "good morning."

She opened her eyes to see his emerald green eyes, glazed over with sleep, watching her.

"Good afternoon, you mean." She smiled and he smiled back.

"Crap, it's that late?" He asked as he closed his eyes and pulled her naked body closer to his. "I was supposed to be in the office early today. Oh well, they didn't send an owl to fetch me." He told her as he ran his fingers down her bare back. "Maybe they found the artifact and are celebrating with me." He added.

"Maybe," she agreed.

"Ah, I'm okay. I can celebrate here," he said as he brushed his lips against her jaw, "with" below her ear, "you."

"Hmm," Ginny's eyes closed at the feeling.

Yes, this was celebratory enough.

"I'll owl them later when we get up and tell them I'm taking a sick day. I deserve it, I think." He mumbled as he flipped her onto her back and then they lost themselves once again in the beauty of their union.

* * *

Harry watched the owl disappear out the window, on its way to the Ministry, and then turned back to his kitchen to see Ginny making breakfast. She was humming as she bustled around in nothing but one of his t-shirts. It stopped at about mid-thigh and was distracting enough.

Harry sighed.

This was absolutely perfect, he realized. He was crazy happy right and he never wanted it to end. He wanted to spend every day like this; waking up with her in his arms, making love, cooking breakfast, spending every day with her. This was exactly what he needed, what he wanted.

Ginny.

He walked up behind her as she was scrambling eggs and wrapped his arms around her waist, he brushed back her hair and kissed the spot right between her neck and shoulder,

He heard her sigh happily and he smiled. He held her like that, occasionally kissing her lips, her shoulder or her cheek.

Curiously, he asked her, "So, what are you going to do now that Fyrefox has been caught?"

Ginny laughed. "I can't believe they think that Draco is Fyrefox." She shook her head, "I've been thinking."

"About…?" He asked.

"Well, I reckon it's time to retire the name Fyrefox and get a real nine-to-five job like the real, honest people of the world." She said.

Harry smiled, "so, what did you have in mind? I bet you'd be an incredible Auror."

"Work for the Ministry?" She laughed, "I said last night that I didn't hate them anymore, that doesn't mean I want to work for them."

Harry laughed with her as she started to make coffee, muggle style, while the eggs cooked. "That's true, plus, that would probably make me your boss if you were to become an Auror."

"You're going to be Head Auror?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, they informed me last night before you showed up. With catching Fyrefox, the only they think it is, I will be awarded the position in February when Robards retires." He explained.

"That's fantastic, Harry." Ginny smiled.

"You're not upset, are you?" He asked.

"No, since you'll be Head Auror that means you won't be away a lot, right?" She asked him.

"No, I'll be mostly handing out assignments and sticking with Kingsley." He answered honestly.

"That's good, then. Because I've decided to take Holyhead Harpies offer that they have been offering me for over four years." She admitted.

"Quidditch; yes, I see it." He grinned.

Ginny smiled back as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and turned towards the eggs.

Finally, she finished and stepped away, placing the finished eggs on a plate and turning off the stove. As she started to step towards the table, he grabbed her arm and turned her. She looked at him with confusion but her eyes widened with surprise as he dropped to his knees, held out his wand and summoned something. It landed on his palm and he held it out to her. It was a black, velvet box.

Ginny gasped, her hands covering her mouth as he opened it to reveal a platinum band with a diamond and two smaller side diamonds.

"Harry?" She whispered.

"Ginny, I love you so much. Since you came back in my life, it's been a blessing. One I never thought I'd ever have after things ended the last time. I was so afraid I'd never have you again and here, I do. You're mine and I want it to be like that forever. I want to wake up with you by me, spend every minute we can together and go to sleep with you. I want to have children with you, grow old together, be with you forever. I never want to be without you. I love you." He whispered back and watched as her beautiful brown eyes filled with tears. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The tears spilling from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and suddenly she was there, on her knees, throwing her arms around him and kissing me. Between every kiss, she'd whispered, "Yes," over and over again.

It was the happiest moment of his life.

She pulled back from him and he grabbed her left hand, slipping the engagement ring on her ring finger and kissing it once it was in place.

He looked up at her and smiled at the glee on her face.

"I love you," she kissed him again.

"And I love you," he kissed her back.

"Now, there's just one more thing we have to do." She told him.

"What?" He asked her.

"It's been about four years. It's time to see my family again," she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

"Yes, that's probably good," he answered absentmindedly as he deepened the kiss.

"Yes, but later." She whispered breathlessly as he pushed her on the floor and leaned over her.

"Later," he agreed on a growl as he kissed her and breakfast was completely forgotten.


End file.
